21 Best Walkable Ground Covers

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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

Walkable Ground Covers 1

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

Best Walkable Ground Covers

Botanical Name: Isotoma fluviatilis

Size: 4-6 inches tall and 12-18 inches of spread

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Looking for ground covering 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

Walkable Ground Covers 3

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

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Botanical Name: Rubus pentalobus

Size: 3-4 inches tall with 24-36 inches of spread

Sun Exposure: Full sun or partial shade

This ground covering with flowers 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 and is the perfect groundcover to walk on.

5. Creeping Jenny

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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

Best Walkable Ground Covers 3

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 covering with flowers spreads fast, producing small, round bright green leaves on burgundy green stems that become bronze in the fall.

7. Dwarf Mondo Grass

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Botanical Name: Ophiopogon japonicus

Size: 2-3 inches tall and 8-12 inches of spread

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Need 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 inch tall and 10-14 inches of 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

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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 ground covering 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

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finegardening

Botanical Name: Herniaria glabra

Size: 2-3 inches tall and 4-8 inches of spread

Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Need low maintenance ground covering plants? 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 among walkable ground covers for sunny water-wise gardens, and it features grey-green leaves with fuzzy white undersides having curly margins.

13. Woolly Thyme

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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.

Check Vines that Make Good Ground Cover here


Shade-Tolerant Walkable Ground Covers

15. Ajuga

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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 walkable 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.

16. 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

Still searching for ground cover plants 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

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pallensmith

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 covering plants look beautiful with their blue-green foliage. It is an amazing ground cover with purple flowers.

Check 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 ground cover 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 ground covering 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.

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