Choosing the Best Drought-Tolerant Ground Cover for Sun-Soaked Gardens

Although enjoyable, designing a stunning garden is not without its difficulties. Dealing with sunny, prone-to-dry environments is a serious problem for many gardeners.

Flowering ground cover plants must be able to withstand heat, arid soils, and little watering when exposed to full sun for an extended period of late spring and early summer. Turf grass and delicate perennials are challenging to grow in hot, sunny climates.

The use of tough, drought-resistant succulent ground cover is the answer. These slow-growing plants cover the landscape, creating a sturdy carpet that keeps weeds at bay. Compared to lawn grasses, ground cover plants are perfect to cover more area with less maintenance, adding color and aesthetic appeal, and aiding in erosion management. Many people also have lush ground cover with lovely floral blooms.

But which plant loves the sun and shade, and can withstand drought in dry gardens? The idea is to select cultivars that do well in the harsh conditions of your environment. In our guide, you can find many of the best options for excellent drought-tolerant ground cover that thrive in full sun to light shade. You’ll learn about their growth patterns, blooms, upkeep requirements, and landscape applications.

We’ll offer some useful pointers on how to plant and establish many drought tolerant ground covers in your hillside or sun-drenched gardens.

By the end, you’ll better understand how to design stunning, low-maintenance landscapes that withstand the difficulties of your climate by using the proper mix of plants suited to arid environments. Learn how drought-resistant, drought-resistant ground cover may change the most sunny regions of your garden. (Read Using Solo Stove On Wood Deck)

What to Look for in Drought-Tolerant Ground Cover Plant

When selecting a great ground cover for dry, sunny spots, there are a few important features to consider:

• Drought tolerance: Needs minimal water once established
• Sun tolerance: Thrives in full sun exposure
• Low-growing: Typically 6 inches tall or less
• Spreads quickly: Quickly covers area to control weeds
• Evergreen: Retains leaves/foliage year-round
• Hardy: Withstands climate extremes like heat and colder climates
• Low maintenance: Requires little pruning or care
• Long-lived: Perennial plants that last many years

Ideally, look for native plant varieties that thrive when dealing with extreme drought conditions, are sun-loving, fast spreading, evergreen, can thrive in your USDA hardiness zone, and requiring minimal care. 

Why Choose Drought Tolerant Ground Covers?

Before getting into specific plant suggestions, let’s look at why extremely drought tolerant ground covers are so useful:

• Saves water: Since these plants are adapted to dry conditions, they don’t need frequent watering once established. You’ll conserve water in your garden by selecting natives and xeric varieties.
• Reduces weeds: Ground covers spread to form a dense mat that blocks light from reaching weed seeds. This natural mulch inhibits weed growth.
• Prevents erosion: The roots and foliage of an attractive ground cover hold soil in place on slopes and prevent erosion issues.
• Adds interest: From bright flowers to evergreen foliage, ground covers provide year-round beauty without much upkeep.
• Covers bare spots: Whether you have poor soil quality or awkward angles, ground covers can mask unsightly areas of dirt.

By incorporating drought-tolerant ground covers into your landscape, you can cut back on water usage, and labor, and get loads of curb appeal. Next, let’s look at some of the best options. (Learn How To Cover Up Mud In Backyard)

Sedum – Best Drought-Tolerant Plant

Sedum are popular succulent perennials to use as a ground cover. Many low-growing sedum varieties form mats of colorful leaves and flowers.

Some top sedum ground cover choices include:

1. Sedum spurium: Pink or white flowers on green foliage that turn red in fall. Grows 2-4 inches tall.
2. Sedum rupestre: Yellow, star-shaped flowers on trailing blue-green foliage. Grows 3 inches tall. 
3. Sedum acre: Yellow, starry flowers on mossy, creeping stems. Grows 2-4 inches tall.

Sedum spreads quickly, requires hardly any watering, and thrives in full sun with poor-quality soil. It blooms spring through summer with colorful flowers.

Creeping Phlox – Great Landscape Cover

Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) is a popular low-growing perennial ground cover for sun. It forms a carpet of needle-like evergreen foliage.  In early spring, it erupts with clusters of pretty five-petaled flowers in shades of pink, purple, blue, and white. Creeping phlox grows only 4-6 inches tall but can spread 12-18 inches wide.

This sturdy North American native thrives in full sun, dry conditions, and poor soil. Once established, it requires little watering or care. Creeping phlox is perennial in zones 3-9.

Ice Plant – Hot Climate Flower

Ice plant (Delosperma cooperi) is a sun-loving succulent perennial that makes a bright colorful ground cover. Originating from South Africa, the ice plant has fleshy teardrop-shaped leaves. 

It produces vibrant daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, orange, yellow, red, and white from spring through fall. Ice plant grows just 3-4 inches tall but spread rapidly to fill in areas.

Ice plant needs well-drained soil and thrives in hot, dry conditions. It flowers abundantly with minimal water. This drought-tolerant spreader is hardy even in poor sandy or rocky soil.

Stonecrop – Hardy Perennial

Stonecrop sedum (Sedum spurium) is an extremely hardy, low-growing perennial ground cover for sun and heat. It reaches just 4-6 inches tall but spreads 1-2 feet wide. The leaves are blue-green or bronze-red. 

Showy clusters of pink or white starry flowers bloom from summer into fall. Stonecrop thrives in poor soil, requires little watering, and is suited for dealing with drought conditions and heat. 

There are many hardy stonecrop varieties perfect for drought-prone areas. ‘John Creech’ and ‘Dragon’s Blood’ are two top performers. Perennial in zones 4-9.

Creeping Juniper – Low-Maintenance

For evergreen drought tolerant plants, consider creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis.) This low-growing juniper has sprawling branches that creep along the ground. 

The needle-like blue-green foliage provides year-round color. It grows slowly to just 8-12 inches tall but can spread several feet wide.

Once established, creeping juniper requires little supplemental water in periods of drought. It handles any soil type and excels in full sun. Hardy even in cold climates, creeping juniper is ideal for dry, sunny slopes. (Learn How Do You Kill Goat Heads Without Killing Grass)

10 Drought-Tolerant Ground Covers

Searching for different plants that grow close to the ground and grow in low water conditions? Here are 10 ground covers that can withstand and experience drought and cover larger areas without too much effort. 

Woolly Thyme 

Woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) is a rugged low and fast-growing ground cover perennial that handles hot, dry conditions. The small gray-green woolly leaves form a dense mat just 3 inches tall. 

Pink or purple flowers add color in early summer. Woolly thyme spreads well to cover the ground and prevent weeds. These are plants that don’t need much watering or care once established.

• It’s drought tolerant and can flourish in poor soil and full sun. 
• Evergreen in warmer zones.
• Trim it in spring to encourage thick growth.
• Excellent choice for sunny slopes and xeriscaping.

Creeping Thyme 

Fragrant creeping thyme makes a hardy, drought-tolerant substitute for lawn grass. It grows just 2-4 inches tall but spreads widely. The tiny leaves release a fresh scent when stepped on. Pink or white flowers add seasonal color.

Lantana

Lantana is a heat-loving annual or perennial grown for its vibrant clusters of flowers. Blooms come in reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, purples, and bicolors.

 This colorful, carefree flowering perennial is a popular ground cover choice. Lantana comes in dozens of varieties with blossoms in white, yellow, orange, red, pink or blue. When purchasing, choose a low-growing, spreading cultivar rather than a tall, shrubby one.

Lantana spreads easily to fill bare spots with vibrant color. It attracts pollinators like butterflies and bees to benefit other plants. 

Native to hot, dry climates, lantana is drought-tolerant once established, making it ideal for Southern and Central California gardens. This versatile plant adds beauty without demanding much care.

The bushy plants reach 1-3 feet tall. Well-drained soil and full sun are musts. 

Rockrose

Rockrose (Cistus) offers colorful, heat-tolerant blooms on low-growing shrubs. The saucer-shaped flowers come in white, pink, purple, and yellow. Rockrose does best in full sun with sharp drainage.

 Silver Carpet

Also known as Cerastium, chickweed, and snow in summer, Silver Carpet is a flowering perennial that thrives in full sun. This popular rock garden plant has small flowers and silver-gray leaves that provide year-round color.

Native to the hot, dry South African coast, it is drought-tolerant once established. Extra watering when young helps it spread quickly, but irrigation can be reduced after it is established to conserve water. Its coastal origins make it salt-tolerant.

Silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae) is a mat-forming perennial with fuzzy gray-green foliage. The compact growth habit reaches just 1-2 inches tall making it a walkable lawn substitute. Yellow daisy flowers appear in summer.

Bearberry Cotoneaster 

For a hardy evergreen ground cover, Bearberry Cotoneaster is a great choice. This spreading shrub grows just 4-8 inches tall but can spread several feet wide. White flowers in spring give way to red berries loved by birds. (Read Should I Remove Old Mulch Before Adding New Mulch)

Periwinkle

Both vinca significant and vinca minor offer glossy evergreen foliage on spreading ground cover plants. Periwinkle produces blue or white flowers in spring. It thrives in shade and tolerates poor soil while suppressing weeds. Periwinkle makes a great companion plant to other drought-tolerant plants.

Snow-In-Summer

Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) is a fast-growing perennial plant that typically reaches a height of 6-10 inches. Abundant white flowers cover the silver-gray foliage, creating a stunning display in summer. This hardy plant thrives in hot, dry conditions, making it an excellent choice for xeriscaping or drought-tolerant gardens. 

Blue Star Creeper 

For a lush lawn or pathway filler, use a blue star creeper (Pratia pedunculata). This hardy perennial has dark green leaves with pretty blue star-shaped blooms in spring. It tolerates foot traffic and grows just 1-3 inches tall.

Verbena

Verbena species like moss verbena (Verbena tenuisecta) make excellent drought-tolerant ground covers with purple, pink flowers, or white flowers. Their trailing stems spread widely and bloom spring through fall.

Design Tips for Best Drought-Tolerant Ground Covers

When laying out your drought-tolerant beds, keep these design tips in mind:

• Select a mix of heights, textures, and colors for visual interest. Combine mounding, trailing, and mat-forming habits.
• Use spreading ground covers on slopes or bare areas to control erosion. Low, dense growth protects the soil.
• Beware of aggressive spreaders like ivy and vinca. Confine them or keep areas mowed to control unwanted spread.
• Mulch around new plantings to reduce weeds. Avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer which encourages weeds over ground covers. 
• Water when first establishing ground covers. Then wean plants off irrigation except during prolonged droughts.
• South and west-facing beds will need more heat-loving, drought-tolerant choices. Select more shade varieties for northern exposures.

With smart plant choices suited to your region, you can craft a lush, water-wise landscape filled with beautiful drought-tolerant ground covers. The result will be a curb appeal boost with less maintenance.

Conclusion: Weed it and Reap

Choosing plants means you need the right drought-tolerant ground covers. These can withstand full sun and enable you to create a beautiful low-maintenance landscape, even in the hottest, driest rock garden. Look for drought-tolerant ground cover plants described as thriving in sun and dry sandy soil. 

The right drought tolerant once established will thrive in your environment’s challenges with minimal care. Choices like sedum, creeping phlox, woolly thyme, and ice plant withstand heat and arid soils while adding vibrant foliage, active pollinator, and blooms to attract a butterfly invasion. With proper preparation and planting, these hardy spreads will establish quickly to cover ground, prevent erosion, and look beautiful with minimal watering. All you need to remember is, grass is a great ground cover, yet it can’t handle the drought or full sun.

All the ground covers here are ideal, yet most of them are slightly invasive plants and may need to be controlled.

Embrace these conditions by selecting low-growing plants made for drought and heat. In just a season or two, you’ll have lush, vibrant beds that withstand your climate’s extremes. Enjoy experimenting with combinations of common ground cover to find those perfect for your unique garden environment. Soon you’ll have colorful, carefree landscapes even in the most sun-soaked spots.

FAQs

What are some good evergreen ground covers that tolerate drought?

Some excellent evergreen drought tolerant ground cover plants are creeping juniper, sedum, and ice plant. Their thick foliage stays green year-round and requires little watering once established.

How fast do drought-tolerant ground covers spread? 

Most drought-resistant spreads will quickly cover ground in 1-2 growing seasons. Fast-spreading options include creeping phlox, sedum, ice plant, and creeping jenny. Give them room to expand.

Can succulent plants be used as drought tolerant ground covers?

Yes, many succulent plants like sedum, ice plant, and sea lavender work fantastic as drought tolerant ground covers for sunny areas. Their thick leaves store water.

What’s the best drought resistant ground cover for slopes?

For dry sunny slopes, excellent ground cover choices include creeping phlox, stonecrop sedum, ice plant, and woolly thyme. Their roots help hold soil in place.

Should I mulch around drought tolerant ground covers? 

Mulching around plants with gravel, wood chips, or other organic matter helps retain soil moisture. This aids establishment. Avoid plastic sheeting.

How do I prepare the soil for drought tolerant ground covers?

For best results, dig in compost to improve drainage, remove weeds, break up compacted soil, and fill any low spots before planting drought tolerant ground covers.