Top Ground Cover Plants to Prevent Weeds in Your Yard

When planning your landscaping, selecting low-growing plants is just as crucial as choosing standout shrubs or trees. Ground cover plants may be small, but they play a vital role in maintaining your garden.

These plants excel not just in aesthetics but also in their ability to create a dense mat, effectively covering bare soil and preventing weeds. They are indispensable allies for gardeners, minimizing the tedious task of weeding.

When properly cultivated, ground cover plants can form a solid barrier, limiting opportunities for weeds to sprout. Luckily, many of the top ground cover plants help prevent weed growth, simplifying your summer gardening tasks. With experience growing these varieties in various regions, I'm excited to share seven excellent ground cover options that effectively deter weeds.

Vinca minor lesser periwinkle ornamental flowers in bloom,

Top Ground Cover Plants to Deter Weeds

There's an abundance of ground cover options available. Whether you need plants for sunny areas or pet-friendly varieties, you'll find something that matches your preferences. Below are weed-resistant ground cover plants that I've successfully cultivated.

1. Lamb's Ear

Lamb's ear, Stachys byzantina, thrives in sunny environments. I grew this plant while gardening in Tuscany, where its silver leaves formed a lush mat alongside a dry gravel garden.

This mint family member, native to Turkey, Armenia, and Iran, is perfect for hot, dry areas and is regarded as one of the best drought-resistant ground covers. During the sweltering Tuscan summers, it kept weeds at bay with minimal care.

'One of the top silver foliage plants, lamb's ear is hardy across various climates, including US hardiness zone 4 to zone 9,' says a garden expert. 'Mass planting is effective for creating a weed-blocking layer, and the silver leaves beautifully complement pink and purple flowers.'

Lamb's Ear starter plants are available online.

2. Pachysandra

Close-up of pachysandra or Japanese spurge

For evergreen ground cover, consider pachysandra, or Pachysandra terminalis. Thriving in US hardiness zone 5 and warmer, this plant features serrated leaves that offer year-round greenery.

I've cultivated pachysandra in various London gardens, often in partial to full shade. While it can grow in sunny locations, direct sunlight can cause yellowing.

Though slow to establish, it becomes a dense mat with a robust root system within 1 to 2 years, making it hard for weeds to thrive. Once settled, it also produces small white flowers in spring. Pachysandra bare-root plants are available online.

3. Mind-your-own-business

Soleirola solerolii ground cover plant, also known as Mind-Your-Own-Business

Another effective ground cover is Soleirolia soleirolii, commonly called mind-your-own-business. This low-growing plant is ideal for planting between stepping stones or along pathways.

Best suited to warmer, humid climates like US hardiness zone 10, it struggles in frost and snow. It flourishes in shaded areas, making it perfect for woodland gardens.

Mind-your-own-business plants are available online.

Explore Weeding Tools

Garden Weed Barrier Fabric

A durable and thick woven fabric that effectively keeps your garden and flower beds free from weeds.

Garden Weeder Tool

This weeder is designed for removing stubborn weeds, featuring an anti-rust steel finish for durability.

Tough Gardening Gloves

These attractive gloves are designed to protect your hands while being soft and flexible for more delicate tasks.

4. Pittosporum

With over 200 species, pittosporums, or cheesewoods, are stunning plants with distinctive evergreen foliage that enhance any landscape, particularly when combined with other evergreens.

Some low-growing varieties make excellent ground cover. During my gardening days in London, I worked with Pittosporum tobira 'Nanum', which is perfect for ground cover due to its compact habit.

Pittosporums thrive in mild regions and should be planted where temperatures don't drop below -5°C/23°F, ideally in US hardiness zone 8 and above.

Pittosporum plants are available online.

5. Phlomis

Phlomis with yellow blooms growing in a garden

For drought-tolerant options, phlomis, or Phlomis russeliana, is an excellent choice. This Mediterranean plant is versatile and hardy to US hardiness zone 7.

Often regarded as an ornamental perennial, phlomis can be evergreen in temperate climates. In my experience, its compact grey-green leaves survived several winters in London.

When planted densely, the heart-shaped leaves create a ground cover and produce tall yellow flower spikes early in spring. Avoid deadheading to enable seed production; while the fading blooms may look unsightly in late spring, patience will yield more plants.

Phlomis seeds are available online.

6. Bugleweed

purple flowers of Ajuga reptans 'Catlin's Giant'

Bugleweed, or Ajuga reptans, is a charming, low-growing plant that adds a hint of purple or bronze to your garden. With a height of only a few inches, it's considered one of the best ground cover options for those wanting alternatives to grass. Its purple flower spikes bloom in spring, attracting bees and butterflies.

Bugleweed thrives in part shade and prefers morning sun with afternoon shade. I've cultivated this vigorous plant in various gardens across England; however, it can be invasive in some North American regions, so local regulations should be checked before planting.

Bugleweed starter plants are available online.

7. Bunchberry Dogwood

Bunchberry dogwood, Cornus canadensis, is one of the few low-growing dogwoods native to North America. It thrives in US hardiness zones 3 to 6 and often flourishes in woodlands of cooler states.

Growing bunchberry dogwood is straightforward; it prefers shady, moisture-retaining soil. 'These dogwoods form a dense mat quickly,' notes a garden director. 'They lose leaves in fall, but in spring, they produce striking white flowers, followed by red berries later in the season.'

Though not overly vigorous, bunchberry dogwoods will gradually extend their roots, creating a thicker carpet each year. Bunchberry dogwood plants are available online.

Common Questions

What's the best ground cover for sunny areas?

For sunny locations, I recommend using ground cover plants with silver foliage like lamb's ear, Stachys byzantina. These plants handle direct sunlight and dry conditions well while forming a dense carpet to prevent weed growth.

Adding these weed-suppressing ground cover plants to your landscape is an effective way to keep unwanted plants at bay. Many of these choices also provide vibrant foliage and flowers, enhancing those tricky spots under trees and established shrubs. For more low-growing planting ideas, check out our guide on growing ground cover roses for beautiful blooms this year.