Creating beautiful garden paths lined with lush greenery is easy when you use tough ground cover plants Unlike grass or mulch, hardy ground covers can tolerate a bit of foot traffic while adding color, texture, and charm to your landscape The best walkable ground covers also help prevent weeds and erosion while being low maintenance.
When choosing the best ground cover plants for walking on, look for sturdy, mat-forming perennials that grow no more than 12 inches tall. Creeping varieties that spread via above ground runners or underground rhizomes root well between pavers and stepping stones. Succulents like sedum and hen-and-chicks also make excellent walkable ground covers. Here are some of the best options to try
1. Thyme
Fragrant thyme varieties like creeping, wooly, and mother of thyme are ideal walkable ground covers for full sun areas. Thyme is tough, dense, and has a spicy aroma you’ll enjoy when brushing past. The woody stems and tiny aromatic leaves withstand light foot traffic while suppressing weeds. Thyme also produces pretty flowers that attract pollinators.
2. Blue Star Creeper
For shady paths, blue star creeper is a good option. This creeping perennial forms a green carpet accented with light blue star-shaped blooms in spring. The dense mat of round leaves spreads quickly to choke out weeds. Blue star creeper tolerates light foot traffic when kept consistently moist.
3. Sedum
With succulent leaves and a shallow root system, sedum withstands frequent foot traffic and dry conditions. Excellent walkable varieties include Dragon’s Blood, Angelina, and Blue Spruce. Tough, colorful sedum ground covers fill in quickly between pavers while producing summertime flowers.
4. Creeping Jenny
Also called moneywort, creeping Jenny spreads rapidly to create a chartreuse carpet of round leaves. In spring, it bears bright yellow button flowers. The dense mat has a medium green color in shade or lime green in full sun. Creeping Jenny cascades nicely over walls and tolerates light foot traffic when given consistent moisture.
5. Irish Moss
Irish moss, also called Scotch moss, forms a velvety carpet of emerald green leaves accented with delicate white blooms. It tolerates some foot traffic best in part shade with ample moisture. Avoid hot afternoon sun, which can cause Irish moss to struggle in warm climates. Trim regularly to keep this lush ground cover looking its best.
6. Creeping Phlox
In early spring, creeping phlox erupts in a flurry of delicate purple, pink, blue, or white flowers. The needle-shaped evergreen leaves spread to form a mat around stepping stones or on slopes. Creeping phlox thrives in full sun to partial shade and tolerates light foot traffic when planted in well-drained soil.
7. Portulaca
Also called moss rose, portulaca is a succulent ground cover that withstands drought, heat, and sandy or rocky soil. The fleshy leaves range from bronze to light green. Clusters of colorful blossoms blanket the foliage in summer. Portulaca tolerates occasional foot traffic, making it a good choice between pavers or along sunny garden paths.
8. Snow-in-Summer
True to its name, this hardy perennial becomes smothered with clusters of tiny white blooms in late spring. The gray-green foliage forms a dense mat that tolerates some foot traffic when kept moist. Snow-in-summer performs best in cool climates. Shear plants after blooming to encourage lush growth. It spreads well from seed.
9. Corsican Mint
One of the tiniest creeping mints Corsican mint forms a fragrant carpet of bright green leaves with tiny lilac flowers in summer. The vigorous spreader releases a fresh minty aroma when stepped on. Corsican mint thrives in partial shade with ample moisture and tolerates light foot traffic.
10. Dwarf Mondo Grass
With upright grassy leaves, dwarf Mondo forms lush pads that spread slowly. The dense clumps tolerate considerable abuse, including foot traffic. Mondo grass thrives in shade and expands through lateral rhizomes and by seed. This resilient, easy care ground cover is also deer resistant and suitable for planting between pavers and stepping stones.
When planting walkable ground covers, choose a gritty, well-draining soil and space plants 8-12 inches apart depending on mature size. Leave a gap of at least 2-3 inches between pavers for the plants to spread. Set stepping stones and pavers about 1-2 inches above the soil level so the ground cover does not overtake them.
Carefully water new plantings to encourage root establishment. Once ground covers mature, they generally need little extra irrigation except during drought. To prevent runoff, use ice cubes or frozen containers of water to provide gradual moisture release. Apply mulch after planting to suppress weeds. Remove the mulch once plants fill in to avoid trapping excessive moisture against the foliage.
On slopes and high traffic areas, opt for ultra tough ground covers like green carpet rupturewort, dwarf wirevine, or sedum. Be aware that certain succulents like hen-and-chicks may become slippery when crushed underfoot. For moderate foot traffic, try sturdy choices like blue star creeper, dwarf mondo grass, creeping wire vine, or Irish moss. Ornamental grasses and plants with small leaves like sweet flag and ajuga also endure some occasional trampling when kept moist.
With a bit of planning, you can create a gorgeous garden path or stepping stone area lined with charming, walkable ground covers. Choose tough plants suited to the sun exposure, soil, and moisture levels of your landscape. Maintain thick plant growth by trimming errant runners and prompt spring pruning. Then enjoy a lovely living carpet underfoot that adds beauty, prevents erosion, and keeps weeds at bay in your garden.
Dwarf mondo grass: Thrives in deep shade
Zones: 7–10
Size: 2 inches tall and 4 to 6 inches wide
Conditions: Partial to full shade; evenly moist to dry, average soil
Dwarf mondo grass is what I use when I need a short, dark green ground cover in a place with a lot of shade. For example, my dwarf weeping maple makes a dry, dark area that is boring in the winter. I have tried many ground covers, but dwarf mondo grass is the only one that doesn’t seem to mind the lack of light while it waits to be exposed in the winter. The fact that it grows slowly keeps it from covering the stones, which makes it great between pavers. But the rooted runners are easy to move to fill in any gaps, and it works great as a lawn substitute in small spaces.
White cup flower: Months of blooms in hot, sunny areas
Zones: 7–10
Size: 2 to 3 inches tall and 8 to 12 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained, average soil; drought tolerant once established
The pretty quarter-sized flowers of the white cup flower cover mats of dark green leaves for three to four months in the summer, when not many other ground covers are blooming. The plant blooms more when it is in full sun, but its white buttercup flowers can also brighten up areas with some shade. Because it roots at all nodes, the plant could be seen as aggressive, but it makes a good ground cover. There are a lot of runners underground that stop most weeds from growing. The plant is also low enough to cover plants that are taller or have a lot of basal growth. This tough, easy-to-grow workhorse is great for my white-themed garden because it brings the whole area together with one sweep.
Low Maintenance Lawn Alternatives and Ground Covers you can Walk on
What is a walkable ground cover?
So long, grassy lawn! These walkable ground covers (also known as stepable ground covers) are some of the best low-maintenance, low-growing, fast-spreading plants you can put in your garden paths and walkways. And the compact, creeping growth habits mean you never have to mow! Grass is so outdated.
Are ground cover plants walkable?
Ground cover plants serve many useful purposes, from suppressing unwanted weeds to preventing soil erosion. When these plants are walkable too, they become the real workhorses of the garden – tough plants that offer a whole new palette of textures and seasonal interest underfoot.
Is grass a walkable ground cover?
Grass might be the ultimate walkable ground cover plant, but even traditional lawns will wear out with too much foot traffic. Think about those brown play areas in your backyard, or how permissive paths emerge to become the main route through longer grass.
Can you put walkable groundcovers in your lawn?
Instead of grass, try out the following walkable groundcovers in your lawn or garden beds. Having a nice, well-cut and meticulously maintained lawn without a ton of weeds is fine. A maintained lawn that is obviously cared for with great attention to detail is quite rare these days.