These evergreen groundcovers feature year-round foliage and a spreading habit, plus several also have colorful flowers.
Several even feature flowers or berries for added interest.
The key to growing evergreen groundcovers is asite with good drainage.
Credit:Robert Cardillo
Plant groundcovers closer together than the recommended spacing, which usually corresponds to the mature spread of the plant.
Candytuft
Edward Gohlich
Evergreencandytuft(Iberis sempervirens) is a white-flowering low shrub with a mounding habit.
It spreads slowly to become an excellent evergreen groundcover.
Credit:Edward Gohlich
The stems root easily when in contact with the ground, forming new plants.
Candytuft transplants well and grows in all soil types as long as drainage is adequate.
Short in nature, it spreads by rhizomes, and responds well to shearing.
Credit:Orest Lyzhechka / Getty Images
It is rarely bothered by pests or diseases.
Thick waxy leaves and berries have a characteristic wintergreen scent when crushed.
It is available with white, red, pink, or purple flowers and several foliage colors.
Credit:Denny Schrock
This mat-forming plant is a bee magnet when it flowers and has gained popularity as a turfgrass replacement.
Brass buttons (Leptinella squalida) is evergreen in warmer climates and semi-evergreen in colder regions.
The name brass buttons was inspired by the small yellow flowers.
Credit: Matthew Benson
Use brass buttons as a low groundcover in rock gardens, along paths, and between pavers.
It is easily propagated by division.
Blooms begin in late spring and last well into summer.
Credit:Evgeniya Vlasova
‘Blue Pacific’ is a particularly low-growing variety perfectly suited for planting near rock walls or boulders.
Japanesesedge(Carex oshimensis) looks particularly impressive in mass plantings.
The popular cultivar ‘Evergold’ has creamy slender leaves with deep green edges.
Credit:Irina Pislari / Getty Images
It forms a thick layer of leaves and stems and spreads readily.
The plant is salt-tolerant and makes a perfect accent draped over stone retaining walls.
It can stand some foot traffic, making it a viable replacement for turf grass in lower-impact areas.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
‘Gyoku-ryu’ is a cultivar that forms mats only a couple of inches tall.
Its arching branches are perfect for trailing over a rock garden edge or retaining wall.
It is evergreen in warmer locations and semi-evergreen in colder areas, with a dense, mat-forming habit.
Credit:Denny Schrock
Brightly colored blooms in many shades bring vivid neon hues to the garden.
It makes an attractive groundcover in shady areas where grass struggles to grow.
‘Burgundy Glow’ has tricolored foliage that turns burgundy in autumn.
Credit:Denny Schrock
Short spikes of blue flowers pop above the foliage in spring for a stunning display.
It’s native to much of the northern U.S., especially in areas with sandy soil.
It’s evergreen in all but the coldest parts of its range.
Credit:Denny Schrock
It is extremely tough, cold-hardy, and deer-resistant.
The bright green foliage turns bronze-purple in fall and winter.
The cultivar ‘Celtic Pride’ has delicate cypress foliage but is hardy down to Zone 2.
Credit: Ed Gohlich
Low-growing and evergreen, this perennial makes an excellent groundcover.
Many cultivars turn shades of burgundy in autumn, providing further color in the garden.
It spreads readily by stems that easily root in the ground.
Credit:Raj Kamal / Getty Images
Although named a nettle, it lacks the sting, and flowers with lilac-colored blooms in summer.
It’s also deer and rabbit-resistant.
Some varieties are upright and narrow, while others are very low-growing.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit:Siur / Getty Images
Credit:Phanasitti / Getty Images
Credit: Jeff McNamara
Credit:Doug Hetherington
Credit:Photohamster / Getty Images
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Credit:Jacob Fox
