9 Beautiful Ground Covers That Crowd Out Weeds Naturally

Tired of weeding? Let your plants do the work for you. Dense, fast-spreading ground covers act as living mulch, shading the soil and blocking weeds before they can sprout.

These 9 gorgeous ground covers don’t just smother weeds—they add rich texture, color, and pollinator-friendly blooms to your landscape.

Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)

With its trailing golden-green leaves, creeping Jenny quickly forms a mat of color. It’s perfect for sunny spots or spilling from containers and raised beds.

Ajuga (Bugleweed)

This hardy ground cover spreads fast with low rosettes of purple-tinged leaves and striking blue flower spikes in spring. Great for part shade and tough areas.

Sweet Woodruff

Ideal for shady, moist areas, sweet woodruff forms a carpet of whorled leaves and tiny white star-shaped flowers that bloom in spring.

Thyme (Creeping Varieties)

Low-growing thyme varieties like woolly or creeping thyme release fragrance when stepped on and create a dense, weed-resistant mat in sunny spaces.

Sedum (Stonecrop)

These drought-tolerant succulents come in a range of colors and textures, forming thick mats that outcompete weeds and thrive in poor soil.

Lamium (Dead Nettle)

With variegated leaves and soft purple or pink flowers, lamium brightens shady areas and spreads quickly to cover bare ground.

Vinca Minor (Periwinkle)

This evergreen ground cover features glossy leaves and violet-blue flowers in spring. It spreads steadily in shade or part sun and chokes out weeds effectively.

Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata)

Perfect for slopes or borders, moss phlox forms a dense mat of needle-like foliage and bursts into a sea of color each spring.

Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

This native evergreen ground cover thrives in poor, sandy soils. With glossy leaves, pink blooms, and red berries, it offers year-round beauty and weed control.

Ground covers are a beautiful solution to a weedy problem. With the right plant in the right place, you can enjoy a lush, low-maintenance garden that keeps weeds at bay naturally. Let your garden flourish from the ground up—with color, coverage, and fewer chores.