9 Fantastic Ground Cover Varieties for Your UK Garden

Posted on 04/06/2025

9 Fantastic Ground Cover Varieties for Your UK Garden

Ground cover plants are a fantastic choice for any garden, providing beauty, weed suppression, and erosion control. Whether you're looking for lush foliage or vibrant blooms, there's a ground cover variety perfect for your UK garden. In this article, we'll explore nine stunning options that thrive in the UK climate, adding charm and functionality to your outdoor space.

1. Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)

Creeping Thyme is an excellent choice for those seeking a fragrant and low-maintenance ground cover. This hardy perennial thrives in well-drained soil and full sun, making it ideal for sunny garden spots. Creeping Thyme not only fills your garden with delightful aroma but also offers attractive lilac blooms in summer, attracting bees and other pollinators.

• Perfect for: Sunny, well-drained areas
• Flowering period: Summer
• Benefits: Fragrant, pollinator-friendly, and drought-tolerant

2. Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)

For shady areas, look no further than Sweet Woodruff. This low-growing perennial thrives in moist, shady spots, creating a lush carpet of greenery. Its delicate white flowers in spring bring a touch of brightness to dimly lit garden corners. Best of all, this plant is deer-resistant and easy to maintain.

• Perfect for: Shady, moist areas
• Flowering period: Spring
• Benefits: Deer-resistant, low maintenance, fragrant leaves

3. Hosta (Funkia)

Adding texture and interest to shaded parts of your garden is easy with Hosta plants. Known for their large, vibrant leaves, Hostas provide an elegant foliage display. While they favor shade, they prefer well-drained soil and regular watering to thrive. Hostas are best known for their versatility and the variety of sizes and colors available, making them suitable for most gardens.

• Perfect for: Shady areas, with well-drained soil
• Flowering period: Summer to autumn
• Benefits: Vibrant foliage, low maintenance

4. Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)

Bugleweed is a vigorous ground cover that provides a striking visual display with its dense arrangement of glossy, dark leaves and tall blue flower spikes. This plant can thrive in a range of conditions, from full sun to partial shade, and prefers moist soils. Bugleweed is an excellent choice if you're looking for a low-growing solution that can quickly fill an area.

• Perfect for: Full sun to partial shade, moist soils
• Flowering period: Spring to early summer
• Benefits: Vigorous growth, colorful foliage

5. Periwinkle (Vinca minor)

Vinca minor, commonly known as Periwinkle, is another superb option for ground cover, especially in shaded spots. This evergreen creeper braves the cold, maintaining its leathery, dark green foliage year-round. In the spring, Periwinkle displays its famous blue or white blooms, adding a dash of color to shaded areas.

• Perfect for: Partially shaded areas
• Flowering period: Spring
• Benefits: Evergreen, low maintenance

6. Sedum (Stonecrop)

Sedums, or Stonecrops, are succulent ground cover plants that excel in full sun and dry soil. These hardy plants are perfect for rock gardens or sloped areas, offering a diversity of colors and textures. Sedums contribute to biodiversity, attracting bees and butterflies to their small, star-shaped flowers. They are also resilient against drought, making them a solid choice for UK gardens.

• Perfect for: Sunny, dry conditions
• Flowering period: Summer to autumn
• Benefits: Drought-resistant, diverse in appearance

7. Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)

If you're looking to brighten up darker garden areas, Creeping Jenny is a stunning option. This fast-growing perennial thrives in moist soils, producing long trails of round, golden-yellow leaves. Throughout summer, it blooms with small but charming yellow flowers. Keep in mind this variety can be quite invasive, so it is best contained within a specific garden area.

• Perfect for: Shady spots with moist soil
• Flowering period: Summer
• Benefits: Vibrant foliage, invasive growth

8. Heuchera (Coral Bells)

Heuchera, also known as Coral Bells, adds a splash of color beneath trees and borders. This semi-evergreen ground cover variety is renowned for its colorful foliage, which ranges from purple to silvery green. It thrives in shady areas, adapting well to different soil types, as long as it's well-drained. In summer, Heuchera displays delicate flower spikes, further enhancing its visual appeal.

• Perfect for: Shady, well-drained areas
• Flowering period: Late spring to early summer
• Benefits: Colorful foliage, adaptable

9. Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)

For those needing a reliable, evergreen ground cover for shaded areas, Japanese Spurge is an excellent selection. Known for its dense, lush carpet of glossy green foliage, this plant handles poor soil conditions with ease. Japanese Spurge is particularly popular for underplanting in woodland garden themes.

• Perfect for: Shaded, poor soil areas
• Flowering period: Spring
• Benefits: Evergreen, dense coverage

Whether seeking to cover bare garden patches or jazz up your garden floor with vivid foliage and blossoms, these ground cover varieties offer the beauty, resilience, and functional benefits every UK garden could benefit from. From sun-seeking Sedums to shade-loving Hostas, there's a perfect ground cover for each corner of your garden, ready to thrive with minimal maintenance. Embrace these ground-covering heroes and transform your outdoor space into a lush paradise!