Perennial Groundcovers
 Do you need to edge the front of a border, add foliage between flagstones or want an alternative to traditional mulch? Listed here are the hardy plants that cover the ground. These plants tend to spread and are usually short. Most offer flowers as well. If you have a rather large area to cover--as on a hillside--consider planting a vine and letting it spread and root into the ground.
As with other perennials flowers, some will do better in sun, while others prefer shade. Also, perennial flowers typically bloom most during one particular season but may overlap into another season. For instance, a late spring blooming perennial may continue on into summer. Our listing below is organized first by exposure (groundcovers for shade, groundcovers for sun). It is then further organized by the season in which the groundcover typically BEGINS blooming. (spring or summer)
Groundcovers --SHADE...SPRING BLOOMING
Groundcovers--SHADE...SUMMER BLOOMING
Groundcovers--SUN...SPRING BLOOMING
Groundcovers--SUN...SUMMER BLOOMING
Click here for a listing of ALL TYPES of perennials by bloom time
Perennial Groundcovers for SHADE
SPRING BLOOMING Groundcovers for Shade
Burgundy Glow in bloom
Burgundy Glow foliage
Photos Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc.
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Bugleweed / Carpet Bugle (Ajuga)
Height: 6"
Spread: 8"-10"
Bloom Color: Blue
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Foliage can grow in shade under trees where grass is hard to establish. Flowers best in moist locations.
Varieties:
Burgundy Glow: tri-colored foliage of cream, burgundy and green. Fall color deepens to rose-bronze. Blue flowers
Bronze Beauty: burgundy green foliage with lilac colored flowers
Sparkler: a 'sparkly' new ajuga. In warm weather it sports shiny deep green leaves splashed with creamy white. As temps cool in fall the foliage blushes pink. Small blue flowers.
Bronze Beauty
Photo Courtesy Willoway Nurseries
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Golden Anniversary
Anne Greenaway
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
Chequers
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Dead Nettle /Lamium (Lamium maculatum)
Height: 6"-12"
Spread: 6"-12"
Bloom Color: Pink or white
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: Brightens up a shady (or partly shady) spot. Can be planted in dry shade as under trees, where grass is hard to establish.
Varieties:
Golden Aniversary: Golden variegated leaves with lavender-pink flowers
Anne Greenaway: Gold, green, and silver leaves with pink blooms
Orchid Frost: Silvery-white and green leaves with pink blooms
Chequers: green with silvery variegation and pink flowers
Orchid Frost
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Fall/Winter Color
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Kinnikinnick (Arctostyphylos)
Height: 4"-10"
Spread: up to 15"
Bloom Color: White or light pink bell-shape dainty flowers
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Flowers are followed by small red fruit. Glossy bright green foliage turns reddish in winter. Evergreen, shrubby ground cover. Can planted in shade, part sun, or sun.
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Snow on the Mountain / Bishop's Weed (Aegopodium)
Height: 6"-12"
Spread: 18"-24"—can be aggressive spreader
Bloom Color: Creamy white sprays on 14" tall wand-like foliage
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Foliage is white and green and interesting when not in bloom. Brightens up a shady spot.
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Vinca Vine / Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
'Bowles'
Height: 4"-6"
Spread: 8"-10"
Bloom Color: Single, 5-petaled, lavender blue flowers
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: A nice deep green groundcover. Performs well in dry shade. Technically an evergreen vine—it holds its leaves well into winter.
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SUMMER BLOOMING Groundcovers for Shade
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Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
Height: 1"-3"
Spread: 2'-6'—can be an aggressive spreader
Bloom Color: Yellow
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Grown for foliage which hugs the ground in a dense mat. Plant shade, bright shade, or sun.
Varieties:
Green
Goldilocks
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Fleeceflower / Knotweed
(Persicaria microcephala)
'Red Dragon'
Height: 24"
Spread: 24"
Bloom Color: Tiny white flowers
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Primarily grown for foliage which is a blend of deep burgundy, plum, and silver. Non-invasive variety. Will not spread by seed.
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Compacta
Variegated
Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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Japanese Fleece Flower, False Solomon's Seal
(Fallopia japonica, AKA Polygonatum)
Height: 24" - 36"
Spread: 24"-36"
Bloom Color: White and pinkish red flowers
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Attractive red stems
Varieties:
Compacta: Green elongated heart-shaped leaves
Variegated: Green leaves splashed with white brighten up a shady location
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Scotch Moss
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Irish Moss
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Moss, Irish and Scotch (Sagina subulata)
Irish Moss (Deep Green)
Scotch Moss (Lime-Yellow Green)
Height: 1"-2"
Spread: 6"-8"
Bloom Color: Tiny white star-shaped flowers
Season of Bloom: Early Summer
Other Notes: Good between rocks or stepping stones.
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Plumbago / Leadwort
(Ceratostigma plumbaginoides)
Height: 8"-12"
Spread: 12"-24"
Bloom Color: Blue
Season of Bloom: Late Summer to Fall
Other Notes: Glossy green foliage turns bronze red in fall. Plant in bright shade. It will emerge slowly in spring.
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Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortuneii)
Height: 12"-18"
Spread: 24"-36"
Bloom Color: n/a
Season of Bloom: Popular for fall/winter color of reddish-maroon.
Other Notes: Broadleaf evergreen, shrubby groundcover.
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Perennial Groundcovers for SUN
SPRING BLOOMING Groundcovers for Sun
White Clips
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Blue Clips
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Bellflower, Carpathian (Campanula)
Height: 6-12"
Spread: 18"
Bloom Color: Profuse white, lavender or purple
Season of Bloom: Late spring into early summer (and longer if you shear/deadhead blooms)
Other Notes: Neat, mounding habit. Does well in well-drained, consistently moist soil.
Varieties:
Blue Clips (Blue flowers)
White Clips (white blooms)
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Scarlet Flame
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Candy Stripe
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Creeping Phlox
(Phlox subulata)
Height: 4"-6"
Spread: 12"-24"
Bloom Color: White, pinks, blue, lavender
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Forms a dense mat of color in spring. Foliage tends to brown out later in the season.
Varieties:
Candy Stripe
Emerald Blue
Scarlet Flame
Snowflake
Woodland
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Emerald Blue
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Snowflake
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Spring
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Late Summer/Early Fall
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Kinnikinnick (Arctostyphylos)
Height: 4"-10"
Spread: up to 15"
Bloom Color: White or light pink bell-shape dainty flowers
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Flowers are followed by small red fruit. Glossy bright green foliage turns reddish in winter. Evergreen, shrubby ground cover. Can also be planted in shade.
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Mat Atlas Daisy (Anacyclus)
Height: 4"
Spread: 12"
Bloom Color: White daisy-like blooms
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Summer
Other Notes: Ferny, mat-forming foliage. Short-lived but re-seeds easily.
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Mountain Sandwort
(Arenaria Montana)
'Avalanche'
Height: 3"-6"
Spread: 8"-12"
Bloom Color: Profuse white flowers
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: Will fill in spots between stepping stones or trail down rock walls.
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Photo Courtesy Plant Select
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Poppy Mallow / Winecups (Callirhoe involucrata)
Height: 4”-6”
Spread: 12”-36”
Bloom Color: Magenta
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Summer with potential to bloom most of the summer
Other Notes: A Colorado Plant Select perennial. Sun to Part Sun. Note: do not plant next to grass, it will intermingle. A Plant Select plant.
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Potentilla, creeping (Potentillia tonguei)
Height: 3"
Spread: 10"-24"
Bloom Color: Single, apricot and yellow tones with a deeper red centers
Season of Bloom: Late spring to early summer
Other Notes: Glossy green leaves form a dense mat. Plant it away from lawns so that it doesn't intermingle.
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Snowcap
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Rock Cress, Purple (Aubrieta deltoidea)
Height: 6"
Spread: 10"
Bloom Color: Deep Purple or white
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: Best planted in well-drained soil. Perfect for rock gardens. Spills over if planted at the edge of a raised bed or rock wall. Give a light trim after flowering.
Varieties:
Whitewell Gem: purple
Snowcap: white
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Snow in Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
Height: 6"-12"
Spread: 24"-36"
Bloom Color: White
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: Silvery foliage brightens the front of the border even when not in bloom. Can be sheared after flowering to freshen up the foliage.
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Soapwort, (Saponaria ocymoides)
Height: 6”-9”
Spread: 12”-18”
Bloom Color: Prolific, small, pink blossoms cover this plant.
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Pretty mounding habit works well at the front of a border or on the edge of a wall/raised bed where it can trail over the edge. Sun to Part Sun.
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Turkish Creeping Speedwell
Photo Courtesy Plant Select
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Speedwell, Creeping (Veronica)
Height: 1"-3"
Spread: 12"-20"
Bloom Color: Blues, pinks, or whites.
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: Wooly or glossy, low-growing green foliage. Extremely drought tolerant once established.
Varieties:
Turkish: Blue flowers—A Colorado Plant Select perennial
Aztec Gold: bright yellow leaves and sky blue flowers
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Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)
Height: 6"
Spread: 24"
Bloom Color: Dainty, fragrant white flowers held above bright green foliage
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Excellent ground cover for dry shade. Nice when paired with taller bulbs or perennials that grow up through it.
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SUMMER BLOOMING Groundcovers for Sun
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'Alba'
'Rosea'
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Baby’s Breath, Creeping Types (Gypsophila repens)
Height: 4”
Spread: 8”-10”
Bloom Color: White or pink baby’s breath blossoms.
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: MUST be planted in well drained soil. Drought Tolerant. Dislikes wet feet in the winter—so plant in a full sun location where snow tends to melt off quickly.
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Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
Height: 1"-3"
Spread: 2'-6'—can be an aggressive spreader
Bloom Color: Yellow
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Grown for foliage which hugs the ground in a dense mat. Plant shade, bright shade, or sun.
Varieties:
Green
Goldilocks
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Missouri Yellow
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
Siskiyou Pink
Photo Courtesy Willloway Nurseries
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Evening Primrose (Oenothera)
Height: 8”-12”
Spread: 18”-24”
Bloom Color: Large profuse yellow or pink cups followed by interesting seed pods. Blooms close during the heat of the day.
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Nice deep green leaves. Drought tolerant. Self sows and can be invasive especially in sandy soils. However this quality makes it a great plant for difficult areas such as sunny slopes.
Varieties:
Missouri Yellow (Oenothera missourenis) AKA (Ozark Sundrops)
Siskiyou Pink (Oenothera berlandieri)
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Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum)
Height: 2"-6"
Spread: 6"-18"
Bloom Color: Star-shaped flowers form on upright stalks from the mother 'hen'
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Succulent rosette shaped groundcover. Drought tolerant. Spreads by 'chicks' from the mother 'hen.' Does well planted between stepping stones. An easy-care perennial to plant in containers.
Varieties:
Ruby Heart
Hardy Mix
Red Beauty
Sanford Hybrids
Cobweb (rose red flowers, white threads criss-cross between the tips of the leaves)
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Hardy Mix
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Photo Courtesy Valerie Belding
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Himalayan Border Jewel (Persicaria AKA Polygonum)
Height: 4" mat forming leaves and 12" when in bloom
Spread: 24" - 36"
Bloom Color: Erect bottlebrush spikes of pink to rose-red blooms
Season of Bloom: Late Summer
Other Notes: This is a vigorous spreading plant. Great groundcover for slopes. Leaves turn a very pretty pronounced red in fall.
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Firespinner wide shot
Firespinner
Photos Courtesy Plant Select
Lavender Ice
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Ice Plant (Delosperma)
Height: 2"-4"
Spread: 12"-24"
Bloom Color: Showy, profuse flowers in yellow, pink, purple, or peach.
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Succulent plants that must be planted in soil with excellent drainage. Not for clay.
Varieties:
Purple
Yellow (D. nubigerum): one of the hardiest with dainty yellow blooms
Table Mountain (D. cooperi 'John Proffit'): A Colorado Plant Select perennial
Lavender Ice (D. 'Psfave): A Colorado Plant Select perennial
Mesa Verde: A Colorado Plant Select perennial
Firespinner: A Colorado Plant Select perennial
 
Mesa Verde Table Mountain
Photos Courtesy Plant Select
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Kenilworth Ivy
(Cymbalaria muralis)
Height: 2"-3"
Spread: 12"-18"
Bloom Color: Dainty blue snapdragon-like flowers
Season of Bloom: Mid-Summer to EarlyFall
Other Notes: Pretty scalloped leaves are a wonderful filler between flagstones. Tolerates full sun if given consistent moisture. If you can't offer this, it will also grow in a morning sun location. Will self-sow.
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Lamb's Ear (Stachys)
Height: Foliage 6" Flowers 15"
Spread: Yes! 12"+
Bloom Color: Small lavender flowers on fuzzy silver stems.
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Fuzzy pale gray foliage. Very soft. Wonderful for a children's gardens. But! A word of caution—this plant travels! Keep it deadheaded so that it does not self sow or it will take over an area.
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Photo Courtesy Plant Select
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Partridge Feathers (Tanecetum densum)
Height: 3"-5""
Spread: 15"-24"
Bloom Color: Yellow
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Drought tolerant. Likes sun and a hot spot. Striking silver leaves are great for contrast. A Colorado Plant Select perennial.
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Angelina
Sedum Red Carpet
Sedum Red Carpet
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Old Man's Bones
Fulda Glow
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
Bertram Anderson
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Sedum / Stonecrop Low Growing Types (Sedum)
Height: 2"-6"
Spread: 6"-24"
Bloom Color: Starry flowers in shades of pink, white, or yellow.
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Succulent foliage is very drought tolerant. Sunny, hot, dry—it can take it.
Varieties:
Dragon's Blood
Angelina (S. rupestre)
Bertram Anderson (S. cauticola)
Fulda Glow (S. spurium)
Tricolor (S. spurium)
Blue Spruce (S. reflexum)
Old Man's Bones (S. divergens)
White Diamonds (S. spathulifolium)
Blue Carpet (S. hispanicum)
Voodoo (S. spurium)
Yellow Stonecrop (S. acre)
Variegated Stonecrop
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Sun Rose (Helianthemum)
Height: 6"
Spread: 12"-24"
Bloom Color: Single flowers in yellow, red, pink or orange.
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Evergreen woody perennial that holds its leaves much of the year. Shear after bloom to freshen up foliage. Or, prune out old wood growth in spring.
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Thyme, Creeping (Thymus sp.)
Height: 2"-12"
Spread: 18"+
Bloom Color: Small white, pink, or red flowers
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Some varieties are ornamental while others can be used for culinary purposes too.
Varieties:
Archer's Gold
Elfin
Wooly
Mother of Thyme
Pink Chintz
Wooly Thyme
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