Best Walkable Ground Covers
1. Portulaca
Botanical Name: Portulaca grandiflora
Size: 8-10 inches tall and 10-14 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
This sturdy sun-loving plant has crepe paperlike blooms in salmon, red, orange, white, yellow shades with needle-like green foliage. Portulaca is a drought-tolerant perennial in frost-free areas.
2. Blue Star Creeper
Botanical Name: Isotoma fluviatilis
Size: 4-6 inches tall and 12-18 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
You can grow it as a lawn alternative in shady areas. It also produces star-shaped pale blue flowers during spring and early summer. The plant prefers consistently moist soil.
3. Creeping Thyme
Botanical Name: Thymus serpyllum
Size: 3-5 inches tall and wide
Sun Exposure: Full to part sun
You can enjoy the fragrance of thyme every time you walk into the garden! Varieties like mother-of-thyme, wooly thyme, and creeping thyme are excellent choices for walkable groundcovers that create a dense mat of lovely foliage.
4. Creeping Raspberry
Botanical Name: Rubus pentalobus
Size: 3-4 inches tall with 24-36 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun or partial shade
This groundcover for foot traffic offers thick green leaves that become bright red in fall. It also produces white summertime blooms followed by small red or orange fruits.
5. Creeping Jenny
Botanical Name: Lysimachia nummularia
Size: 4-6 inches tall and 12-18 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Creeping jenny has long outward spreading stems and coin-like golden leaves. You can grow it between stepping stones as it can resist some foot traffic. In late spring, this groundcover produces delicate butter-yellow blooms.
6. Creeping Wire Vine
Botanical Name: Muehlenbeckia axillaris ‘Nana’
Size: 4-6 inches tall and 8-10 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
This groundcover spreads fast, producing small, round bright green leaves on burgundy green stems that become bronze in the fall.
7. Dwarf Mondo Grass
Botanical Name: Ophiopogon japonicus
Size: 2-3 inches tall and 8-12 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Ophiopogon japonicus forms small clumps of bright green leaves when grown on a path or patio. It grows at a slow pace, so you don’t need to worry about controlling it.
8. Scotch Moss
Botanical Name: Sagina subulata
Size: 1-2 inch tall and 10-14 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
You can grow scotch moss in rock gardens, lawn substitute in small backyards, or garden paths. It also produces a layer of white blooms in the spring. Keep it well-watered during the summer heat.
9. Miniature Speedwell
Botanical Name: Veronica oltensis
Size: 1-3 inches tall and 8-12 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: full sun
Also known as thyme leaf veronica, it features deep green leaves and tiny blue flowers in early to mid-spring. You can use it as a crack filler between pavers and flagstone.
10. Corsican Mint
Botanical Name: Mentha requienii
Size: 1-2 inches tall and 4-6 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
This mat-forming groundcover exhibits fragrant, green leaves. Grow it between stones or as a lawn substitute, so the mild fragrance of mint spreads when you walk.
11. Rupturewort
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Botanical Name: Herniaria glabra
Size: 2-3 inches tall and 4-8 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
This easy-to-grow, low-maintenance perennial ground cover creates a green carpet of small evergreen leaves and can grow in the poorest soil. It emits a distinct vanilla-like scent.
12. Silver Carpet
Botanical Name: Dymondia margaretae
Size: 1-2 inches high with 4-6 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
‘Silver carpet’ is an ideal choice for sunny water-wise gardens and it features grey-green leaves with fuzzy white undersides having curly margins.
Shade-Tolerant Walkable Ground Covers
13. Ajuga
Botanical Name: Ajuga Reptans
Size: 6-9 inches tall and 10-12 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full to partial shade
Also known as the bugleweed, this easy-to-care-for ground cover is appreciated for its quality to slowly carpet your yard with chocolate, bright green, bronze, or bicolor foliage. During spring, it produces spikes of purple, white, or blue flowers.
14. Black Brass Buttons
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Botanical Name: Leptinella x Platt’s Black
Size: 3-5 inches tall and 6-10 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full shade
It offers gorgeous fern-like, bronze-black leaves that creep on the top of the soil, creating a fuzzy mat under your feet.
15. Mazus Reptans
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Botanical Name: Mazus reptans
Size: 4-6 inches tall and 18-36 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Partial to full shade
It’s a vigorous growing ground cover that looks beautiful with its blue-green foliage. It also grows purple-blue flowers. Avoid walking too much on the plant.
Source: BalconygardenweƄ.coм
