For years, the standard answer for any open garden space was a lawn. But for many of us, a lawn is just a high-maintenance chore that doesn’t offer much in return.
That’s where walkable ground cover plants come in. These plants are low-profile, spreading perennials that can handle the weight of a footstep without dying back.
Unlike grass, they don’t need weekly mowing, they often smell incredible, and they fill the gaps between pavers with a lushness that concrete or gravel just can’t match.
Here’s how to choose and grow the best varieties of ground covers for a lush, no-mow landscape:
Choosing the Right Plant for the Right Light
The biggest mistake I see gardeners make is choosing a ground cover based solely on how it looks in a nursery pot. You have to match the plant to your light levels and your soil’s drainage, or you’ll be replanting by next season.
The Sun-Lovers (6+ Hours of Direct Light)
If your path is south-facing or has zero overhead cover, you need plants that can handle intense heat and periods of drought.
1. Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
Creeping Thyme is the gold standard for a reason. It’s incredibly rugged, drought-tolerant once established, and offers a sensory experience few other plants can.
Varieties to Look For: I personally love ‘Elfin’ for tight gaps because it stays under an inch tall. ‘Woolly Thyme’ is another favorite; its fuzzy, silver-gray foliage is incredibly soft underfoot and handles dry, rocky soil better than almost anything else.
The Scent Factor: This is the primary reason people plant it. Every time you step on it, you get a hit of herbal fragrance.
Traffic Tolerance: High. It can handle children, dogs, and daily foot traffic once the woody stems have established.
2. Blue Star Creeper (Isotoma fluviatilis)
If you want a look that mimics a traditional lawn but with a floral punch, this is it. It stays very flat and produces tiny, pale blue star-shaped flowers from spring through autumn.
Growth Habit: It spreads via underground runners. This is key because if a patch gets damaged or stepped on too hard, the plant can “repair” itself from the roots up.
Soil Needs: It prefers a bit more moisture than Thyme. If you have sandy soil that dries out instantly, you’ll need to stay on top of watering during the peak of summer.
3. Turkish Veronica (Veronica liwanensis)
This is an underrated gem. It’s a very fast grower with tiny, glossy green leaves that turn a beautiful bronze color in the winter. In late spring, it’s covered in bright blue flowers.
Durability: It is exceptionally cold-hardy and heat-tolerant. It creates a dense enough mat that it effectively chokes out most common garden weeds.
4. Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
If you want a soft, ferny look that stays green even in the heat, Roman Chamomile is a classic choice. It’s slightly taller than Thyme but can be kept low with occasional clipping.
The Scent Factor: It releases a sweet, apple-like fragrance when crushed.
Maintenance Tip: Look for the ‘Treneague’ variety; it’s a non-flowering cultivar that stays very low and compact, meaning you never have to deadhead spent blooms.
5. Silver Carpet (Dymondia margaretae)
This is the ultimate choice for a “California cool” or Mediterranean look. It features slender, leathery leaves that are green on top and silver underneath.
Appearance: As it grows, the edges of the leaves curl slightly to reveal the silver undersides, giving the ground a shimmering, variegated effect.
Durability: It is extremely drought-tolerant and forms a mat so dense it feels like walking on a firm outdoor rug.
6. Microclover (Trifolium repens ‘Pipolina’)
Unlike the common white clover you find in wild fields, microclover has tiny leaves and a much lower growth habit.
The Nitrogen Fixer: This is a “self-fertilizing” plant. It pulls nitrogen from the air and puts it into the soil, keeping itself green without extra fertilizer.
Traffic Tolerance: Very high. This is one of the few ground covers that can actually handle a dog running over it daily.
The Shade Seekers (Dappled Light to Full Shade)
Shady paths often suffer from being damp, muddy, or mossy. Instead of fighting the moss, I like to lean into it with plants that love those cool, sheltered conditions.
1. Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii)
This is the lowest-growing mint in existence. It looks like a mossy, emerald film on the soil.
The Experience: When you step on it, it smells like a fresh peppermint patty. It’s a delight for sensory gardens.
The Catch: It is a thirsty plant. If the soil dries out completely, it will shrivel. It’s perfect for the “drip zone” near an outdoor tap or a shady side-yard that stays naturally damp.
2. Baby’s Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)
Often seen as a houseplant, Baby’s Tears makes a stunning outdoor ground cover in frost-free or mild climates. It forms a thick, lime-green cushion of tiny leaves.
Placement: Because it’s quite succulent, it doesn’t handle heavy, “twisting” footsteps well. I find it’s best used as a filler between large, flat stepping stones where your foot mostly lands on the stone and only catches the edges of the plant.
3. Brass Buttons (Leptinella squalida)
The variety ‘Platt’s Black’ is my top recommendation for a “moody” garden look. The foliage looks like miniature, antique-bronze fern fronds.
Appearance: It produces tiny, button-like yellow flowers in the summer. It’s a very tight grower and feels quite springy underfoot. It’s surprisingly tough and can handle moderate traffic much better than Baby’s Tears.
4. Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)
Perfect for the deeper shade under a large tree where grass refuses to grow. It has whorled leaves that look like tiny green stars.
The Fragrance: Known for its scent of freshly mown hay and vanilla, it was traditionally used to scent linens.
Visual Appeal: In late spring, it produces a “snowdrift” of tiny white flowers that brighten up dark corners.
5. Golden Star (Chrysogonum virginianum)
This is a tough, native North American perennial that stays low and spreads via rhizomes to create a solid carpet.
Appearance: It produces cheery, bright yellow star-shaped flowers. While most shade plants have subtle blooms, this one really pops.
Soil Needs: It is very adaptable but thrives in moist, acidic soil. It’s a great companion for ferns or hostas.
6. Beach Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis)
If you have a shady spot with “sandy” or well-draining soil, this is a rugged choice. It has glossy, dark green leaves that often turn red or purple in the autumn.
Durability: It is much tougher than it looks. It spreads by runners (like a garden strawberry) and can handle moderate foot traffic quite well.
The Bonus: It produces tiny, edible (though often tart) strawberries that birds and pollinators love.
The “Traffic Light” System for Walkability
One question I get constantly is: “Can I actually walk on these?” I use a simple traffic light system to help people place their plants correctly:
Green Light: Heavy Traffic
- Creeping Thyme
- Microclover
- Beach Strawberry
These can handle the main path to the front door, the area around the BBQ, or the path to the chicken run. They have woody or resilient stems that don’t snap easily.
Yellow Light: Moderate Traffic
- Blue Star Creeper
- Turkish Veronica
- Silver Carpet
- Brass Buttons
- Golden Star
These are perfect for “secondary” paths – the ones you walk on a few times a day to reach the compost bin or the garden shed.
Red Light: Light/Occasional Traffic
- Corsican Mint
- Baby’s Tears
- Roman Chamomile
- Sweet Woodruff
These are “accent” plants. They are great for the very edges of paths or for filling gaps between pavers where you only occasionally step. If you walk on these multiple times a day in heavy boots, they will eventually thin out and die back.
Planting Between Pavers
The biggest reason ground covers fail between pavers is a lack of soil. I’ve seen so many people try to plant into 100% builder’s sand or hard-packed clay.
Prepping the Gaps
If you are planting between pavers, you need to dig out at least 3 or 4 inches of the base material (sand/gravel) and replace it with a 50/50 mix of topsoil and fine compost. These plants have shallow roots, but they still need nutrients and a place to anchor.
The “Recess” Technique
This is the most important technical tip I can give you: Plant the crown of the plant slightly below the level of the stones.
If the plant is mounded up higher than the stones, every step you take will crush the “crown” (the center of the plant where new growth starts).
If you plant it slightly lower, the stone takes the brunt of the weight, and the plant only gets a gentle compression. This allows it to spread over the edges of the stone naturally without being sheared off.
Maintaining Your Ground Cover Carpet
While these plants are “low maintenance,” they aren’t “no maintenance.” Here is how to keep them looking lush year-round:
1. The Critical First Six Weeks
You have to protect your investment. I usually lay down some chicken wire or even a few messy branches over newly planted areas to remind everyone to walk around them. Once the roots have knit into the soil, the plants become much more resilient. If they are disturbed in the first month, they will likely fail.
2. Watering and Weeding
Until the plants form a solid, “knit” mat, weeds will try to find the gaps. I make it a habit to do a quick 5-minute weed once a week. Once the ground cover is thick, it acts as a mulch and prevents about 90% of weed seeds from even touching the soil.
For watering, I prefer “bottom soaking.” Instead of a light mist every day, give them a deep soak twice a week. This encourages the roots to grow deep into the soil rather than staying on the surface where they will fry in the sun.
3. “Mowing” Ground Covers?
Technically, you don’t have to mow ground cover plants. However, some ground covers like Creeping Thyme can become a bit “woody” after a few years. I like to take a pair of garden shears once a year, right after they finish flowering, and give them a light “haircut.” This encourages fresh, green growth from the center and keeps the mat from becoming too leggy.
4. Fertilizing
Be careful here. If you give these plants too much high-nitrogen fertilizer, they will grow fast but “soft.” Soft growth is easily crushed. I usually just top-dress with a tiny bit of compost in the spring and leave it at that. They prefer to work a little harder for their nutrients.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
“My Thyme is turning brown in the middle!”
This is usually a drainage issue. If your soil is heavy clay and stays soggy all winter, the center of the plant will rot. When planting in clay, I always mix in a handful of grit or perlite to the planting hole to help move water away from the roots.
“The plants aren’t spreading.”
Check your soil compaction. If the soil between your pavers is as hard as concrete, the runners can’t find a place to “tuck in.” You might need to go in with a screwdriver and loosen the soil along the edges to give the runners a place to root.
Final Thoughts
Replacing high-traffic turf with walkable ground cover plants is one of the best ways to soften the hard lines of a garden. It turns a functional path into a living, breathing part of your landscape.
Whether you are tucking mint into a shady corner or letting thyme sprawl over a sunny rockery, these plants offer a level of character that a standard lawn just can’t match.
It does take a little more thought at the beginning, but once that carpet is established, it’s one of the most rewarding parts of the garden.
You may also like:
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- 30 Beautiful Plants For Rock Garden Landscaping
- 27 Best Edging Plants For A Perfectly Defined Garden
- 15 Best Plants For A Beautiful Above-Ground Pool Area
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