speakingtomato / Getty Images
Ground covers are true gems in the garden.
They provide a soft green backdrop throughout the year so the rest of your plants can take center stage.
Some ground covers become a highlight themselves when they burst into bloom and create large swaths of color.
Credit:speakingtomato / Getty Images
The best ground covers are as tough as they are beautiful, demanding little care or water.
Theyspread with easetobeat out weedsand keep your garden looking lush.
If you’re in search of drought-tolerant ground covers that require little upkeep, look no further.
Hardy ice plant (Delosperma cooperi).Credit:Nataliia_Melnychuk / Getty Images
Get some inspiration from our list of the best ground-hugging plants for sun and shade.
This ground cover will bloom all summer and fall withlittle care from you.
In fact, ice plant must have very good drainage and suffers if it is overwatered or fertilized.
Credit:ULADZIMIR ZGURSKI / Getty Images
Plant it along sandy paths or at the edge of your rock garden.
This plant is one of the few that flowers prolifically in dry shadeeven under trees.
you’re free to also plant it in a location with morning sunlight.
Credit:Paroli Galperti/REDA / Getty Images
Epimedium is a slow spreader and hardy in Zones 5 to 8.
This plant prefers sandy or loamy soil that is on the dryer side.
Blue leadwort is reliably hardy in Zones 6 to 9 and can spread aggressively.
Credit:Natasha Sioss/Moment Open/Getty Images
it’s possible for you to also plant it as a lawn alternative.
you could find varieties with green, blue, gold, or chartreuse foliage.
Some are tinged with purple in winter.
Credit: Sachko / Getty Images
Some gardeners even use it as alawn alternativein dry, sunny spots.
Plants may rot away with too much rain or watering.
One-foot stalks with lavender flowers appear in summer.
Credit:Laszlo Podor/Moment/Getty Images
Lamb’s ear does best with good drainage and can struggle during humid summers.
Sedum
Sedum can be found in a variety of textures and colors.
Plant a patchwork of sedums for a multi-colored, mat-forming groundcover.
Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) grows well in full sun.Credit:Lynne Brotchie/Photolibrary/Getty Images
Some, like the ‘Angelina’ pictured above, will change color in fall.
Sedum prefers well-draining or sandy soil in a sunny spot.
you’ve got the option to easily root the stems in new areas of the garden.
Credit: Anna Yu / Getty Images
Snow-In-Summer
Snow-in-summer’s name comes from the carpet of white flowers it produces in summer.
This Italian native prefers dry, sandy soil in full sun.
Plant it in Zones 3-7.
Credit:Getty Images
This plant goes dormant in winter and sometimes dies back during the heat of summer after it blooms.
Winecup forms a 6-inch mat and will self-seed.
Grow it in Zones 4 to 8.
Credit: LianeM / Getty Images
Yarrow
Yarrows originate from North America, Europe, and Asia, with many hybrids available.
Yarrow grows in Zones 3 to 9 and can be evergreen in warmer climates.
Thispollinator-friendly plantmay spread aggressively in the right conditions.
Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’ is a popular catmint.Credit:Neil Holmes/Oxford Scientific/Getty Images
This plant also blooms repeatedly in spring and summer if you shear off the flowers.
Plant it in well-draining soil along a sunny path or rock wall where you might enjoy it.
Cats may be drawn by it, but thedeer will stay away.
