9 Prime Ground Cover Options to Beautify Your UK Garden

Posted on 16/05/2025

9 Prime Ground Cover Options to Beautify Your UK Garden

In the quest for a lush, low-maintenance garden, ground cover plants are often the unsung heroes. These versatile plants provide a carpet of greenery that can transform bare patches into vibrant displays and help to suppress weeds. For UK gardeners, choosing the right ground cover can make all the difference in creating an attractive, sustainable landscape.

The Importance of Ground Cover in Gardens

Ground cover plants offer myriad benefits. They act as living mulch, helping to retain moisture in the soil and protect it from erosion. These plants also aid biodiversity by providing a habitat for beneficial insects. Moreover, by reducing the area of open soil, they minimize the proliferation of weeds, making them a vital component for any low-maintenance garden.

What to Consider When Choosing Ground Cover Plants

When selecting the best ground cover options for your garden, consider the following factors:

• Climate suitability
• Soil type and drainage
• Sunlight exposure
• Maintenance requirements
• Growth rate and height

1. Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)

Creeping thyme is a popular choice for UK gardeners due to its hardy nature and fragrant leaves. This perennial provides an excellent ground cover option with its mat-forming characteristics. It blooms in summer, offering a sea of purple flowers attracting pollinators.

• Ideal for sunny locations
• Thrives in well-drained soil
• Low-growing with a height of 2-3 inches

2. Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)

Renowned for its lush foliage and spikes of blue flowers, bugleweed is well-loved in UK gardens. This evergreen plant is a great option for those looking to cover shady areas.

• Tolerates both sun and partial shade
• Prefers moist, well-drained soil
• Height ranges from 4-8 inches

3. Ground Morning Glory (Convolvulus sabatius)

For those looking for a touch of elegance, the ground morning glory offers a trailing, prostrate habit with vibrant blue flowers. Perfect for coastal or urban gardens, it provides a splash of color throughout the summer months.

• Ideal for sunny spots with good drainage
• Requires moderate watering
• Typically grows to 4-6 inches in height

4. Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

This hardy evergreen shrub, known as bearberry, is excellent for providing year-round ground cover in UK gardens. With glossy, green leaves and small pink flowers in spring followed by red berries, it offers visual interest in all seasons.

• Thrives in full sun and partial shade
• Prefers acidic, well-drained soil
• Only grows to about 6-12 inches tall

5. Lilyturf (Liriope muscari)

Lilyturf is admired for its grass-like foliage and purple flower spikes, making it an excellent ornamental ground cover. It provides texture and color, especially in shaded areas of the garden.

• Grows well in partial to full shade
• Adaptable to various soil types, including clay
• Reaches heights of 12-18 inches

6. Sedum (Sedum spurium)

Commonly known as stonecrop, sedum is a drought-tolerant succulent that prospers in sunny locations. Its fleshy leaves and starry flowers provide texture and color from mid-summer into autumn.

• Prefers sunny environments with good drainage
• Requires minimal watering
• Typically stays under 6 inches tall

7. Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)

Japanese spurge is a go-to option for creating a rich, deep green carpet in shaded areas. With its serrated leaves and white flower clusters in spring, it contributes elegance and color to the garden.

• Loves shady, moist conditions
• Ideal for acidic to neutral soils
• Grows to about 8-12 inches tall

8. Woodruff (Galium odoratum)

A staple for shady gardens, woodruff produces sweet-smelling white flowers in spring. This herbaceous perennial thrives under trees and shrubs where it can create a cohesive under-planting.

• Requires partial to full shade
• Prefers moist, well-drained soil
• Grows to approximately 6-12 inches in height

9. Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii)

Corsican mint is renowned for its aromatic foliage and tiny purple flowers. As a fast-spreading ground cover, it can quickly blanket small areas and is often used in cracks between stepping stones due to its low-growing nature.

• Thrives in partial shade with moist soil
• Requires regular watering
• Only reaches about 1 inch in height

Enhancing Your Garden with Ground Covers

Incorporating these ground cover options into your garden design can significantly enhance its appeal. Each offering unique features and benefits, they help create a lush, tranquil setting that reduces maintenance time. Choose plants that best suit your garden's microclimate, and enjoy the texture, color, and biodiversity they bring.

Whether you have a sunny rock garden, a shaded woodland nook, or a coastal plot, these ground cover options can transform your garden into a visual feast. Let nature take its course as you witness the beauty of these unassuming yet impactful plants.