1: Hardy geraniums (Geranium – lead image)
An indispensable group of plants, most forming mounds less than knee high, with flowers from late spring to early autumn and foliage that can burnish copper in autumn. There are varieties for dry soil, sun or dappled shade. Try multi-award-winning ROZANNE (‘Gerwat’) in a sunny or part-shaded spot for dazzling purple flowers from June right to November.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Planting distance: 50-90cm apart
Plant it when it’s colour you’re after.
2: Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
This diminutive plant is a ground-cover stalwart. Its glossy green rosettes thrive under deciduous trees and shrubs to create a lush green carpet with small, white, whiskery flowers in early summer. Give it plenty of water during its first year as it establishes itself; after that, it’ll be fairly drought-tolerant.
Type: Evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 15-30cm apart
Use it when you have a shady corner that needs greening up.
3: Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
The name refers to a number of varieties that spread to form low cushions of colour. All have small, aromatic leaves (some silver-grey, others variegated) and, in summer, cute little bee-attracting flowers in white and shades of pink. Try Thymus serpyllum ‘Snowdrift’ for white flowers, or dainty Thymus ‘Silver Posie’ with its white-edged grey-green leaves and lavender pink flowers.
Type: Evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 20-30cm apart
Use it when you’ve hot, dry spots to fill, in a rockery or between paving stones.
4: Elephant’s ear (Bergenia)
The scientific name is Bergenia, and there’s a whole heap of varieties to choose from, all with the trademark large, leathery, glossy evergreen leaves – a few cultivars, like ‘Overture’, have foliage that turns burgundy in winter. In spring, stout spikes of pink or white flowers appear, often on claret-coloured or red stems.
Type: Evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 40-50cm apart
Plant it when a path, in sun or partial shade, is calling out for some bold evergreen edging.
5: Periwinkle (Vinca)
The creeping stems and white or purple flowers of periwinkle, aka Vinca, can quickly cover a bare spot in sun or shade. Vinca minor ‘Ralph Shugert’ is particularly lovely, with violet flowers and foliage with creamy gold margins; it lights up a dull patch of earth. Choose Vinca minor in smaller gardens; Vinca major if you have more space, as it can be overenthusiastic.
Type: Evergreen sub-shrub
Planting distance: 30-60cm apart
Plant it when you need a sloping bank covered with interest.
6: Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
Delicate looking but tough as old boots, this beautiful plant (Alchemilla mollis) has scallop-shaped leaves covered in a fine down that catches rain like silvered mercury drops. In summer, it sends up short sprays topped with a froth of zesty yellow-green flowers, which last for weeks on end.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Planting distance: 40-50cm apart
Plant it when you need ground cover that will look after itself.
7: Flower Carpet roses (Rosa FLOWER CARPET)
Roses for ground cover? Yes, absolutely! There’s a whole series of them bred specifically for this purpose, so they’re essentially shorter (to around 80cm) with an arching habit. Most have single flowers and colourful hips in autumn. Try the white semi-double blooms of WHITE (‘Noaschnee’) and the gorgeous red-orange tones of SUNSET (‘Deseo’).
Type: Shrub
Planting distance: 1-1.2m apart
Plant it when you’re looking to cover a sunny bank or a bed at the top of a retaining wall.
8: Bishop’s hat (Epimedium)
A really tough and undemanding group of plants, Epimedium creates light, airy ground cover around 30-40cm tall in dappled shade. Their intricately veined heart-shaped leaves can have rich autumn colour while the nodding flowers on wiry stems come in white, yellow, pink and orange. Try lemon-yellow flowered Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’ for a tricky spot in dry shade.
Type: Evergreen/semi-evergreen/herbaceous perennial
Planting distance: 40-50cm apart
Plant it when you need tough ground cover in shade.
9: Knotweed (Persicaria affinis ‘Darjeeling Red’)
These tough and colourful plants form dense mats of slim green foliage in sun or part shade. From midsummer through to autumn, they produce brick red stems topped with long plumes of soft pink flowers, which gradually turn to rusty red.
Type: Semi-evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 50-60cm apart
Plant it when you’re in the mood for something easy and natural-looking.
10: Siberian waldsteinia (Waldsteinia ternata)
Sand or clay, dry soil or wet, here’s the solution. This workhorse of a ground-cover plant won’t let you down – and it’s something of a looker too. Lobed glossy leaves form the carpeting understorey to sprays of bright yellow, strawberry-like flowers in late spring. It should spread to cover the ground, but it isn’t invasive.
Type: Semi-evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 50-60cm apart
Plant it when the spreading branches of deciduous trees need lush underplanting.
11: Wood spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides)
Evergreen ground cover with a woodland feel is what you get with this tough and useful group of plants. ‘Purpurea’ has rich beetroot-hued foliage with lime green flower bracts in spring. Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae (dark green leaves, zesty lime flowers) is particularly tough and low maintenance, doing well even in challenging areas of dry shade. Spurges are harmful to people and pets if eaten, and the sap is harmful to the skin and eyes. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling.
Type: Evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 50-60cm apart
Plant it when you’re in love with the fresh lime colours of spring.
12: Alpine strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
The scientific name for this pretty little plant is Fragaria vesca, and it’s a shame it’s not more widely planted. Varieties such as ‘Semperflorens’ have small berries that ripen from June through to November. They are incredibly sweet, and you won’t find them in the shops. Plus, there’s attractive green foliage and dainty white flowers.
Type: Semi-evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 40-50cm apart
Plant it when you want something a little bit different (and delicious) in dappled shade.
13: Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus)
A charming pink and white daisy with a beast of a scientific name, Erigeron karvinskianus, will gradually self-seed to summer-long glory in a hot garden with sandy or poor, rocky soil, or between the paving slabs of a sunny patio. It’s reliably low maintenance and drought-tolerant, too.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Planting distance: 30-40cm apart
Plant it when a gravel path or paved area needs a glow-up.
14: Wall bellflower (Campanula portenschlagiana)
This pretty little number will form spreading mounds crammed in summer with deep purple bell-like flowers. It’s happiest in sun or light shade, in well-drained soil, in rocky areas or raised beds. It’s a vigorous grower, so avoid siting it next to less competitive plants.
Type: Semi-evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 40-50cm apart
Plant it when a blast of summer colour is needed in a rockery or to spill over a low wall.
15 Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)
This rockery stalwart is popular for a reason. It’s low maintenance, great for pollinators and rather pretty to look at: a spreading carpet of narrow deep-green foliage dusted in pure-white scented flowers in late spring. It’s a Mediterranean native, so it demands light, well-drained soil and a sunny spot.
Type: Evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 50-60cm apart
Plant it when you have a rockery or gravelled area to fill, and you want to attract bees and other pollinators.
16: Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
A group of low-growing shade-tolerant plants that are super useful. The leaves are long and often speckled with white or pale green, while the early-spring flowers (a great source of early nectar for bees) are small, open trumpets in white or shades of purple and pink. To lift a shaded spot, try Pulmonaria OPAL ‘Ocupol’ for its serene pale violet flowers.
Type: Herbaceous/semi-evergreen perennial
Planting distance: 40-50cm apart
Plant it when there’s space to fill at the front of a reliably moist border in part shade.
17: Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis)
Spear-shaped leaves, white bell-shaped flowers and knockout scent. What more could you ask of a sheet of ground cover? Well, it can cope with shade as well as damp ground – and a little posy taken inside in late spring will fill your home with its sweet, fresh perfume. Fun fact: it spreads by underground roots known as ‘pips’. Lily of the valley is toxic to people and pets if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Planting distance: 20-30cm apart
Plant it when moist, rich soil under deciduous shrubs needs an understorey of scented interest.
18: Ivy-leaved cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium)
The heart-shaped marbled leaves are beautiful enough, but add in those lovely downturned, swept back pale pink flowers in autumn, and you have ground cover with a really long season of interest that’s truly exquisite. A woodland bed under deciduous trees is ideal for cyclamen, where it’s damp and a little shady; here they’ll quickly settle in and spread.
Type: Tuberous perennial
Planting distance: 10-20cm apart
Plant it when gorgeous autumn and winter colour are a must.
19: Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla)
In spring, sky-blue forget-me-not flowers on dainty stems rise above large heart-shaped leaves. If that sounds appealing, plant a few Siberian bugloss in full or part shade, and you’re good to go. It’s a vigorous plant and self-seeds freely, so you’ll get more plants for free, given a little patience.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Planting distance: 50-60cm apart
Plant it when a shady spot is in need of brightening up.
20: Common chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
With its white daisy-like summer flowers and feathery foliage, this low-growing perennial is ideal as drought-tolerant ground cover. The non-flowering, compact variety ‘Treneague’ can be used as an alternative to a grass lawn, as it can cope with light foot traffic. When you crush the leaves in your fingers or as you walk across the plants, they release a beautiful apple scent.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Planting distance: 25cm apart
Plant it when you want to have sweet-smelling ground cover in full sun.
