Want to replace your lawn with a ground cover you could step on without damaging it? Discover the names of these Best Walkable Ground Covers!
Looking for low-maintenance ground cover you can walk on? Well, do not worry! From flowers that cover the ground to native walkable ground cover, we have some of the Best Walkable Ground Covers for you!
Here are the best shade-loving Ground Covers for you
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
Searching for perennial ground covers? This sturdy, sun-loving plant has crepe paperlike blooms in salmon, red, orange, white, and yellow shades with needle-like green foliage. Portulaca is a drought-tolerant perennial in frost-free areas and one of the best walkable ground covers.
8 Best Portulaca Growing Tips | Moss Rose Plant Care
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
Looking for a ground covers with flowers? 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 creeping thyme ground cover every time you walk into the garden filled with these ground covering flowers! Varieties like mother-of-thyme, wooly thyme, and creeping thyme are excellent choices for walkable ground covers 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 one is a perfect choice for foot traffic and offers thick green leaves that become bright red in fall. It also produces white summertime blooms followed by small red or orange fruits and is the perfect groundcover to walk on.
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, these walkable ground covers produce delicate butter-yellow blooms.
Stunning Ground Covers with Yellow Flowers
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 ground cover 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
Need a drought-tolerant ground cover you can walk on? 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 inches tall and 10-14 inches spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
You can grow scotch moss in rock gardens, lawn substitutes in small backyards, or garden paths. Keep it well-watered during the summer heat, and you’ll have amazing walkable ground covers.
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. It’s versatility makes it one of the best walkable plants.
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
These mat-forming walkable ground covers exhibit fragrant green leaves. Grow it between stones or as a lawn substitute so the mild fragrance of mint spreads when you walk.
Check out Beautiful Ground Covers with White Flowers here
11. Rupturewort
Botanical Name: Herniaria glabra
Size: 2-3 inches tall and 4-8 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Need a low-maintenance ground cover? This easy-to-grow, low-maintenance perennial 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 walkable ground cover for sunny, water-wise gardens. It features gray-green leaves with fuzzy white undersides and curly margins.
13. Woolly Thyme
Botanical Name: Thymus pseudolanuginosus
Size: 1-2 inches tall and 12-18 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Woolly thyme are low-growing walkable ground covers that form a soft and dense carpet of small, fuzzy gray-green leaves. This thyme variety adds a touch of texture to your garden while releasing a pleasant herbal fragrance.
14. Elfin Thyme
Botanical Name: Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin’
Size: 1 inch tall and 12-18 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part sun
Elfin thyme, also a type of creeping thyme, is an excellent choice for creating a miniature thyme lawn or walkable ground cover. It features tiny green leaves that form a tight mat, and when crushed, they release a pleasant fragrance.
Shade-Tolerant Walkable Ground Covers
15. 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 plant 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.
16. Black Brass Buttons
Botanical Name: Leptinella x Platt’s Black
Size: 3-5 inches tall and 6-10 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full shade
Still searching for a specimen you can walk on? Black brass buttons offer gorgeous fern-like, bronze-black leaves that creep on the top of the soil, creating a fuzzy mat under your feet. These are definitely one of the top choices on our list of walkable ground covers.
17. Mazus Reptans
Botanical Name: Mazus reptans
Size: 4-6 inches tall and 18-36 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Partial to full shade
These vigorous-growing ground cover plants look beautiful with their blue-green foliage. It can also grow in shade.
Discover Beautiful Fast Growing Ground Cover Plants here
18. Irish Moss
Botanical Name: Sagina subulata
Size: 1-2 inches tall and 10-14 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Irish moss is a dense, low-growing plant you can walk on with small, bright green leaves that create a carpet-like effect. It’s often used to fill in gaps between stones in pathways or as a lawn substitute.
19. Pearlwort
Botanical Name: Sagina procumbens
Size: 1 inch tall and 6-12 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Pearlworts are walkable ground covers with tiny, rounded leaves that form dense mats. They’re well-suited for walkways, rock gardens, and other areas where you want a low-profile plant.
20. Creeping Speedwell
Botanical Name: Veronica repens
Size: 2-4 inches tall and 12-18 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Creeping speedwells are beautiful low-growing plants with small, scalloped leaves that create a dense carpet-like growth. It produces tiny blue or violet flowers in spring, adding a splash of color to the landscape.
Check Beautiful Lantana as Ground Cover Ideas here
21. Mind Your Own Business
Botanical Name: Soleirolia soleirolii
Size: 1-2 inches tall and 12-18 inches of spread
Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade (but prefers partial shade)
Also known as “baby’s tears,” “mind-your-own-business” are beautiful, walkable ground covers with tiny, round leaves that create a lush, carpet-like appearance. These are particularly well-suited for areas with low to moderate foot traffic.
