Ground Cover Plants for High-Traffic Areas

Blue Star Creeper

• Blue star creeper Pratia pedunculata is a perennial commonly used as a groundcover in high foot-traffic areas. It produces green foliage and flowers that come in shades of blue or white. Blue star rarely reaches taller than 6 inches in height but spreads well in all directions. It does best in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 5 through 10. Plant it in an area with full sun or light shade. The soil should be nutrient-rich and drain well enough to prevent standing water. Upon planting, water it regularly for the first few weeks, but very little care is required once established. Flowers bloom several times throughout the year depending on the planting region. Most often, blooming occurs in midspring to early summer with a second round from mid fall to early winter. Growers, especially those with pets or small children, should be cautious, as ingesting the leaves and blooms are toxic.

Clover

• Clover is one of the most recognizable plants in horticulture. It produces a thick mat of heart-shaped leaves and is a quick grower, good for covering large spaces. Once established, clover is soft to the touch, easy to care for and withstands heavy foot traffic. Plant these seeds in the spring and summer for best results. There are several different types, each producing a slightly different look and flower. Flowers may bloom in white, pink or yellow and, depending on the USDA zone, open sometime during the spring and summer. It grows as an annual or perennial and thrives in most soil types. Provide it with full sun or partial shade and moist soil.

Myrtle

• Myrtle Catharanthus roseus, also called periwinkle, is a small, perennial groundcover reaching a mature height of about 6 inches. It has a trailing growth pattern, spreading quickly in all directions and often reaches as wide as 3 feet. Myrtle thrives in USDA zones 3 through 8 and prefers areas with full or partial shade and well-drained, moist soil. The plant is somewhat disease prone, a characteristic that is especially problematic in areas with standing water. Keeping the soil free from debris helps prevent health problems. Myrtle is notable for its dark-green foliage and delicate flowers. These flowers open between the end of March and into April and are primarily blue or purple, but some modern cultivars are white.

Thyme

• Thyme is best known as a seasoning herb widely used in the kitchen. Culinary thyme's are not appropriate for groundcover. Instead, gardeners have nearly a dozen varieties that cover anywhere from a few square inches to spaces as large as 2 square feet. Most thyme varieties need an area with full sun, while others do fine in partial shade. Keep the soil moist, particularly in the first few weeks after planting, a chore which is easier by adding an inch or so of mulch. Most thyme plants are hardy through USDA zone five, while a few from the Thymus praecox arcticus family will do well as far north as zone 4. Blooming time and looks vary from plant to plant. Most varieties produce flowers sometime between midspring into midsummer. These plants regularly reach between 4 and 8 inches in height