Top 10 ground cover plants for UK gardens

Ground cover plants are a fantastic way to add texture, colour, and functionality to your garden. Not only do they help prevent soil erosion and suppress weeds, but they also offer a vibrant and sustainable way to fill in bare spots and underplant established plants. For gardeners in the UK, where conditions can vary from sunny to shady, dry to damp, flowering ground cover plants are the perfect low-maintenance option. In this post, we’ll focus on some exceptional ground covers available from Farmer Gracy, ideal for creating a lush, hardy, and beautifully diverse garden.

Why choose ground cover plants?

Ground cover plants provide numerous benefits to UK gardens. They are particularly valuable in areas where grass struggles to grow, such as shady spots, steep slopes, or dry, rocky soil. By covering large areas quickly, these plants offer instant visual appeal and help reduce the need for lawn care. Their ability to suppress weeds and improve soil structure makes them an eco-friendly choice for any garden.

The UK climate, with its mix of rain and sunshine, is perfectly suited to a variety of ground cover plants. Whether you're looking for year-round evergreen coverage, vibrant flowering varieties, or drought-tolerant options, the ground covers on our website are sure to meet your needs. Whether you're looking for a vibrant tapestry of flowers or a tough, low-maintenance spread of foliage, ground cover plants can be your go-to solution.

Key features of ground cover plants in the UK

Flowering ground covers can bring a multitude of benefits to your garden, especially in the UK, where the climate offers a great variety of conditions. These plants often add vivid, seasonal bursts of colour to your outdoor spaces while offering the same functional benefits of weed suppression and soil erosion control.

• Colourful flowers: Flowering ground cover plants introduce bright and vibrant colours to your garden, which can transform even the dullest spaces. Whether you choose soft pinks, bold purples, or sunny yellows, these plants create a beautiful and colourful carpet across your garden floor. Their blossoms often last through the spring and summer, making them perfect for creating a year-round display when paired with evergreen varieties.
  
  
• Wildlife attraction: One of the major benefits of flowering ground cover plants is their ability to attract wildlife. Many of these plants, including varieties like Phlox and Erigeron, produce nectar-rich flowers that are irresistible to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. This can make your garden a haven for wildlife, supporting biodiversity and helping to sustain vital pollinator populations.
  
  
• Low maintenance: Flowering ground cover plants are typically low-maintenance once established. Most varieties are hardy and resilient, requiring minimal care after the first growing season. They’re ideal for busy gardeners who want a beautiful garden without having to invest too much time and effort. Flowering varieties like Phlox or Delosperma need little more than occasional watering and pruning to keep them looking their best.
  
  
• Durability and hardiness: Many of the flowering ground cover plants available in our selection are particularly suited to the UK climate. They are able to withstand our temperate conditions, including the colder months, and can handle a variety of soil types and exposure levels. From partial shade to full sun, these plants thrive in most garden conditions.

The best flowering ground cover plants

Here are some standout flowering ground cover plants, each bringing something unique to your garden:

1. Saponaria (soapwort)

Soapwort or Saponaria ocymoides is a charming flowering ground cover that produces lovely pink flowers and is perfect for sunny or partially shaded areas. Its soft green foliage is complemented by masses of pink blooms in late spring and summer. This hardy perennial thrives in the UK’s climate and is especially beneficial for cottage-style or naturalistic gardens.

Soapwort is not only beautiful but also highly versatile, making it an excellent choice for filling large garden spaces or cascading over the edges of garden borders and containers. This low-growing perennial will gradually spread and form a thick carpet of green, dotted with soft, pink blooms.

2. Thymus (creeping thyme)

Creeping thyme is a perfect flowering ground cover plant for gardeners looking to add both fragrance and beauty to their space. The plant produces small, pink flowers in the summer, which contrast beautifully with its aromatic, evergreen foliage. Known for its resilience, creeping thyme thrives in sunny spots, especially between paving stones or in rock gardens.

The aromatic nature of creeping thyme makes it particularly appealing for use in pathways, where the fragrance can be enjoyed as you walk over it. This variety is hardy and ideal for the UK’s varying weather conditions, making it a great choice for low-maintenance areas.

3. Erigeron (Mexican fleabane)

Erigeron karvinskianus, commonly known as the Mexican fleabane, is a hardy and versatile ground cover that works well in full sun or partial shade. Its dainty white flowers, which age to a soft pink, create a delicate carpet that blooms throughout the summer. It’s perfect for adding a touch of wildflower charm to your garden.

Erigeron is perfect for gardeners seeking a more natural or cottage-style aesthetic. Its spreading habit ensures that it will fill bare spots in your garden and provide continuous flowers that attract pollinators. It’s also an excellent choice for mixing with other low-growing perennials.

4. Campanula portenschlagiana (trailing bellflower)

This compact and hardy perennial is a stunning choice for ground cover. Known for its trailing habit, Campanula portenschlagiana produces a profusion of bell-shaped, purple flowers in late spring and early summer. It’s perfect for shady spots and works well as a cascading plant over walls, rocks, or containers.

The soft, violet-blue flowers of trailing bellflower will create a lush carpet in the garden, complementing both rustic and contemporary garden designs. This variety is great for adding a soft, flowing effect to your garden’s aesthetic.

5. Delosperma 'Ice Cream' series

The Delosperma 'Ice Cream' series includes several varieties that make a beautiful, drought-tolerant addition to your garden. With vibrant flowers in shades of purple, pink, yellow, fuchsia, salmon, and red, these low-growing succulents thrive in sunny, well-drained soil. They're perfect for adding colour to dry spots or filling in gaps between other plants.

Delosperma varieties, including 'Ice Cream Fuchsia', 'Ice Cream Yellow', 'Ice Cream Purple', 'Ice Cream Fire', and 'Ice Cream Salmon', produce a stunning carpet of colour with their jewel-like flowers. These drought-tolerant ground covers are perfect for sunny spots, where they’ll provide vibrant, long-lasting colour.

6. Isotoma 'Blue'

Isotoma fluviatilis 'Blue' is a stunning choice for creating a soft, flowing carpet of blue in your garden. Known for its trailing habit and star-like blue flowers, this plant thrives in sunny to partially shaded areas. It’s a great option for hanging baskets or containers, adding a delicate charm to any garden setting.

Blue Isotoma is a true standout, especially in containers, where it can cascade beautifully over the edges. This ground cover offers vibrant blue flowers that bloom continuously from spring to autumn, making it an excellent addition to any garden space.

7. Isotoma 'White'

For a lighter, airier feel, Isotoma fluviatilis 'White' is a fantastic option. Its starry white flowers bloom in abundance, creating a clean, fresh look in any garden. It’s perfect for sunny spots or hanging baskets, where its trailing nature can really shine.

White Isotoma offers a gentler contrast to its blue counterpart, and works particularly well in mixed planting schemes or as a delicate filler in containers. Its crisp white blooms are an excellent addition to brighten up darker areas of the garden.

8. Ground cover Phlox

Phlox is a versatile and reliable ground cover plant with vibrant, long-lasting flowers. We offers several varieties, each with its own charm:

• Phlox 'Bavaria'
  Featuring vibrant pink flowers with white centres, this variety is a true beauty for both sunny and partially shaded areas.

• Phlox 'Ground Blue'
  With its cool blue flowers, this variety is perfect for creating a soothing, serene carpet of colour in your garden.

• Phlox 'Ground Pink'
  Soft, pink blooms that provide a gentle, understated beauty, ideal for brightening shady spots.

• Phlox 'Candy Stripe'
  A fun and colourful choice with striped pink and white flowers, perfect for adding a playful touch to your garden.

Phlox is a fantastic flowering ground cover for UK gardens, providing colour and texture that last throughout the growing season. Its ability to thrive in both full sun and partial shade makes it a versatile option for any landscape.

9. Iberis (candytuft)

Iberis 'Snowflake' is a brilliant ground cover plant known for its evergreen foliage and small, white flowers that bloom in spring. Its compact habit makes it an excellent choice for rock gardens or as a border plant, adding a crisp, clean look to your garden.

Iberis is perfect for gardeners looking for a low-maintenance, evergreen ground cover that adds a fresh, clean look in early spring. Its small flowers are an excellent choice for attracting early pollinators and for adding a soft visual texture to your garden beds.

10. Sedum (stonecrop)

Sedum acre is a tough, low-maintenance ground cover that thrives in dry, well-drained soil. Known for its small, yellow flowers, this plant is perfect for areas where other plants might struggle. It’s ideal for adding texture to rock gardens or sunny borders.

Sedum is an excellent choice for sunny, dry areas in your garden. It requires minimal care and adds a unique texture with its succulent foliage, making it a perfect plant for gardeners seeking a hardy, low-maintenance option.

11. Waldsteinia ternata (barren strawberry)

For a more subtle and understated ground cover, Waldsteinia ternata, commonly known as barren strawberry, is a fantastic option. It forms a dense carpet of dark green foliage and produces small, yellow flowers in spring, followed by red fruit. It’s perfect for shady spots or woodland gardens, adding a lush layer of greenery.

Waldsteinia is an ideal choice for woodland gardens or other shady spots where grass might not thrive. It’s also a great ground cover for filling in gaps and providing a fresh, green carpet year-round.

How to use ground cover plants in your UK garden

In the UK, ground cover plants can be used in a variety of ways to enhance your garden. Here are a few ideas for incorporating them:

• Under trees and shrubs: Ground cover plants like Phlox and Waldsteinia ternata are perfect for filling the spaces beneath trees or shrubs where grass may struggle to grow.

• Between paving stones: Thymus and Sedum acre are excellent for planting between paving stones, adding a splash of colour and texture to your pathways.

• On slopes: For slopes or areas prone to erosion, Delosperma and Erigeron are great choices, as their spreading habits help stabilise the soil.

• In containers and hanging baskets: Isotoma fluviatilis 'Blue' and 'White' are perfect for adding beauty and coverage to containers and hanging baskets.

Conclusion

Ground cover plants are an excellent addition to any UK garden, providing both beauty and functionality. From vibrant flowering varieties like Phlox and Delosperma to low-maintenance options like Sedum and Iberis, we offer a wide selection of ground covers that thrive in the UK climate. These plants are perfect for creating lush, low-maintenance gardens that require little upkeep but offer lasting beauty.

Whether you're looking to fill gaps, suppress weeds, or reduce lawn maintenance, flowering ground cover plants are an invaluable asset to any outdoor space.