In landscape design, ground cover plants are the unsung heroes, weaving a lush canvas beneath our feet. Whether you are reinventing a sunny garden patch or rejuvenating a shaded corner, these plants offer benefits that extend far beyond their looks. They enrich the visual appeal of a garden while providing a practical solution to soil erosion, weed suppression and moisture retention.
This guide works through the finest ground cover options, each with its own character and resilience, and shows how to match them to the specific problem you are trying to solve. Done well, a ground cover planting transforms outdoor spaces with elegance, durability and genuine sustainability.
What problem are you solving?
Ground covers are rarely planted for their own sake. Most gardeners arrive at them because something else is not working, so it helps to start with the problem rather than the plant.
Sparse lawn coverage
Many gardeners struggle with bare patches. Lawns suffer from poor soil, heavy foot traffic or too much shade, leaving an uneven, patchy appearance that no amount of fertiliser fixes. Ground covers establish quickly in those conditions and fill sparse areas effortlessly, providing robust coverage where turf has repeatedly failed.
Mulch maintenance
Maintaining mulch is a time-consuming job, and reapplying it every year disrupts the garden. A living ground cover does the same work permanently, establishing quickly and providing a consistent appearance through the seasons. Beyond looks, it enriches the soil, prevents erosion and improves moisture retention.
Weed infestation
Weeds are a perennial problem that diminishes the charm of an otherwise beautiful garden. Ground covers are one of the most effective long-term weed management strategies available, forming a dense mat that makes it very difficult for weed seedlings to gain a foothold. Varieties with aggressive spreading habits outcompete weeds directly, and our guide to avoiding weeds in your garden covers how to combine them with mulch and timing for the best result.
Unattractive bare patches
Bare patches disrupt the uniformity of a garden's design and are usually caused by poor soil conditions or root competition. Ground covers remedy this swiftly, and their vigorous growth ensures the patches do not return. Resilient options such as kidney weed and mondo grass also withstand light foot traffic, making them suitable for the parts of a garden people actually walk through.
Soil erosion
Soil erosion undermines the stability of a garden and leaves barren, gullied areas behind. Ground covers with extensive root systems stabilise the soil and prevent further degradation, while improving moisture retention at the same time. On a slope, they are usually the only practical answer.
Difficult slopes
Gardening on steep slopes presents unique challenges and often demands endless maintenance. Low-growing ground covers simplify these demanding positions, anchoring soil with robust root systems and deterring erosion even on steep gradients. They transform a daunting bank into something that looks deliberate and needs almost no ongoing work.
Best plants for ground cover
1. Creeping thyme: the fragrant carpet
Creeping thyme is a perennial favourite, not only for its aroma but for its ability to withstand foot traffic. With tiny, delicate flowers that attract pollinators, this low-growing herb is perfect for sunny, dry areas. Its hardiness makes it an ideal choice for adding both beauty and resilience along garden paths, and it is a natural companion to the options covered in our guide to ground covers for in between steppers.
2. Lotus 'Gold Flash': a splash of drama
Add a burst of vibrancy with Lotus 'Gold Flash', a striking plant with fine, silvery foliage and vivid claw-shaped flowers. Its sprawling habit suits both garden borders and rockeries, creating eye-catching contrasts through the seasons. This hardy ground cover thrives in well-drained, sandy soils, which makes it suitable for coastal gardens.
3. Dichondra 'Silver Falls': a cascading delight
With its cascading silver foliage, Dichondra 'Silver Falls' transforms a space into a silver-toned dreamscape. Ideal for hanging baskets, pots and retaining walls, it adapts well to both sun and partial shade. Our Silver Falls dichondra care guide covers watering and positioning in detail, since it is one of the few ground covers that genuinely resents wet feet.
4. Ajuga reptans: a tapestry of colours
For a ground cover that delivers flamboyance, Ajuga reptans, known as bugleweed, offers a striking display of blues, purples and bronze-greens. This hard-working plant suppresses weeds effectively and is happiest in shaded spots, adding a vibrant touch to shadowed garden corners where little else will grow.
5. Australian native violet: a delicate touch
Bring native charm into your garden with the native violet. Its dainty purple and white blooms sit above dense, kidney-shaped foliage. Thriving in shaded, moist environments, it spreads swiftly, offering a soft, natural carpet that supports local biodiversity. It is a standout choice among the best ground cover plants for shade.
Low-light areas
Low-light areas present unique challenges, often producing sparse, lacklustre growth that discourages novice gardeners. Numerous ground covers thrive in shade, however, and dwarf mondo grass performs splendidly in such settings, forming a dense evergreen mat with no mowing required at all.
Selecting species naturally adapted to shade removes most of the difficulty from low-light gardening. Appropriate ground covers transform these areas into appealing, lush spaces, masking bare patches and introducing texture that softens the garden's flow. Even the shadiest corners can look intentional with the right plants.
Dos and don'ts of using plants for ground cover
Dos
- Plan your space: analyse your garden conditions. Do you have full sun, shade, dry or moist soil? Select plants that align with these parameters for the best growth.
- Choose diversity: enhance resilience by selecting a mix of ground covers, which ensures year-round coverage despite seasonal changes.
- Nurture the soil: before planting, ensure the soil is well prepared with appropriate nutrients to support vigorous growth.
- Maintain regularly: while ground covers generally suppress weeds, occasional pruning and weeding promotes healthy growth, particularly in the first year.
Don'ts
- Overcrowd the soil: avoid planting too densely. Ground covers need space to spread and flourish without competing with each other for resources.
- Ignore spread: be aware of invasiveness. Some species become overly aggressive and outcompete neighbouring plants, creating an imbalance that takes years to correct.
- Neglect mulching: failing to mulch between young plants leads to moisture loss and weed infiltration while the planting is establishing.
- Underestimate climate: do not overlook the specifics of your area, as unsuitable conditions stunt growth and shorten the life of the planting.
Where a ground cover has to cover a very large area, a no-mow turf alternative is often more practical than a spreading perennial, and our guide to no mow grass compares the two approaches.
Choose by conditions, not by looks
Groundcover is the one category where matching the plant to the site matters most, because the whole point is a planting that closes over and then looks after itself. Get it wrong and you have a bare patchy bed that needs weeding forever.
| Conditions | Reliable choices in Australia |
|---|---|
| Hot, dry, full sun | Creeping boobialla, pigface, prostrate grevillea, Silver Falls |
| Damp shade | Native violet, dichondra, ajuga |
| Dry shade under trees | Clivia, liriope, Asiatic star jasmine |
| Between pavers, light traffic | Dwarf mondo, blue star creeper, dichondra |
| Coastal and salt exposed | Pigface, Cousin It, myoporum |
| Steep banks and erosion control | Myoporum, lomandra, prostrate grevillea |
The Australian natives worth knowing
- Creeping boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) - spreads a metre or more, thrives in full sun, needs no irrigation once established. The standard choice for a dry bank.
- Kidney weed (Dichondra repens) - flat bright green mat, takes light foot traffic, works in sun or shade. The closest thing to a native lawn substitute.
- Native violet (Viola hederacea) - the best answer for damp shade, flowering most of the year.
- Pigface (Carpobrotus) - coastal dune succulent, holds sand, salt tolerant, vivid flowers.
- Cousin It (Casuarina glauca) - soft weeping mound, handles salt, drought and coastal wind with no pruning.
What to avoid in an Australian garden
Several traditional groundcovers have become significant environmental weeds here and are worth leaving alone. English ivy, periwinkle (Vinca) and wandering trad smother native understorey in bushland across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, and spread readily from garden waste dumped in reserves.
The natives above do the same job without the risk, and in most cases handle Australian conditions better anyway.
Planting density decides the outcome
- Kill the existing grass completely first. Couch and kikuyu coming up through a new planting is very difficult to remove afterwards.
- Prepare the whole area with compost, not just the planting holes.
- Plant 4 to 6 per square metre for most species, and closer for slow growers like mondo.
- Mulch between plants until they knit together.
- Water regularly for the first three months - this is the phase people underestimate.
- Weed diligently in year one. Once the cover closes, weeding drops close to zero.
Planting sparsely to save money almost always costs more in weeding time than it saves in plants.
Regional notes
- Brisbane and subtropical Queensland - drainage matters through wet summers; raise beds for myoporum and succulent covers.
- Sydney and coastal NSW - almost everything on this list performs, with salt tolerance narrowing choices right on the coast.
- Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra - frost hardiness matters. Lomandra, dianella, ajuga and liriope all cope; pigface needs shelter.
- Perth - sandy hydrophobic soil is the real constraint. Apply a wetting agent before planting, and favour myoporum and pigface.
Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of using ground cover plants?
Ground cover plants offer aesthetic appeal, soil erosion prevention, weed suppression and moisture retention, and they reduce the ongoing cost of replacing mulch.
Which ground cover is best for sunny areas?
Creeping thyme thrives in sunny, dry areas and withstands foot traffic. Myoporum and dichondra are also excellent in full sun.
What is a good option for shaded areas?
Ajuga reptans, native violet and mondo grass are all excellent choices for shaded environments. Native violet is the fastest to fill a damp shaded bed.
How do I prevent ground cover plants from spreading too aggressively?
Regular maintenance, such as edging and monitoring growth, keeps spreading in check. Choosing non-invasive species in the first place is the more reliable answer.
Can ground cover plants survive in coastal environments?
Yes. Lotus and myoporum are well suited to coastal conditions, thriving in well-drained sandy soils and tolerating salt-laden wind.
How do I prepare the soil for planting ground cover?
Clear weeds thoroughly, dig in compost to improve structure, and mulch after planting. Weeds removed before planting are far easier to deal with than weeds pulled out of an established carpet later.
Should I mix different types of ground cover plants?
Yes. Mixing species enhances resilience and provides year-round coverage, though it works best when the plants have similar vigour so one does not swamp the others. If you want a single reliable native carpet, our guide to kidney weed covers the most widely used option in Australian gardens.
Ready to plant?
By carefully selecting and nurturing the right ground covers, you can craft a landscape that celebrates both function and beauty, contributing to an ecosystem that works with the conditions you have rather than against them.
Browse our groundcover range to compare varieties, or start with our ground covers for low maintenance gardens.
