List of Drought-Tolerant Ground Covers

For Sun

• For sunny, drought-prone sites that receive direct light for at least six hours each day, plant beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis). This perennial ground cover grows to 18 inches tall and blooms year-round with bright yellow blossoms that attract butterflies. Beach sunflower is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b to 10 and prefers sandy, well-draining soil. Dwarf jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum), an evergreen vine, grows as ground cover when left unsupported. In sunny sites, dwarf jasmine forms a dense mat of dark green foliage, sometimes offset by aromatic yellow flowers. It's hardy in USDA zones 7b to 10 and tolerates both salt and drought.

For Shade

• Fill those shady sites with the large, gray-green foliage and spires of white flowers of the hairy alumroot (Heuchera villosa "Autumn Bride"). This cultivar thrives in partial to full shade and tolerates drought, though it prefers moist soil. Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8, it attracts hummingbirds to the garden with its 3-foot-tall summer flowers. Vinca, or periwinkle (Vinca minor), also grows well in shade. This drought-tolerant evergreen reaches heights of 12 inches but spreads up to 30 feet wide. It's hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9 and blooms with tiny blue flowers in spring. The "Illumination" cultivar has the added attraction of bright yellow foliage with green margins for year-round interest.

For Flowers

• For bright color all season long, plant ice plant (Delosperma cooperi). This tough ground cover tolerates sunny, dry sites and blooms with large, deep pink blossoms atop succulent foliage. It's hardy in USDA zones 8 to 10 and requires full sun and very well-draining soil. The Western bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) looks fragile, but it tolerates drought and resists deer. This 12-inch-tall perennial spreads to 3 feet wide and blooms with pendulous, heart-shaped pink flowers in spring. Western bleeding hearts are hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8 and prefer moist soil.

For Fruits

• For attractive fruits that last long after blossoms have faded away, plant the compact coral barberry (Berberis × stenophylla "Corallina Compacta"). This low-growing evergreen reaches heights of 6 to 12 inches and tolerates drought and a variety of soil types. Hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9, the compact coral barberry blooms with orange-yellow spring flowers, followed by metallic blue-black fruits that last through the fall. The single-seed juniper (Juniperus squamata "Blue Star") also produces attractive fruits. A spreading evergreen, this juniper forms a carpet of silvery-blue foliage, offset by its blue fruits, each of which contains a seed. Single-seed junipers are hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9 and grow to 3 feet tall and wide.