Walkable ground cover plants are an excellent choice for creating beautiful, resilient landscapes that can withstand occasional or even regular foot traffic. Unlike traditional turf grass, these low-growing plants offer a mix of aesthetic appeal, ecological benefits, and practicality.
Walkable Ground Cover Plants
They are ideal for pathways, patios, between pavers, or as full lawn replacements. One of the most important considerations when choosing a ground cover is the amount of sunlight the area receives.
In this post, I’ll present 15 exceptional ground covers grouped by their ability to thrive in full shade, full sun, or both.
In each plant profile, I include comprehensive information on light needs, foot traffic tolerance, height, growth habit, ornamental value, and care requirements to help you make an informed decision for your landscape.
Choosing the Right Walkable Ground Cover
Foot Traffic Tolerance: Not all ground covers can handle being walked on. Walkable varieties are those that can spring back from occasional or moderate foot pressure without getting crushed or dying off.
Low-Growth Habit: Plants that grow low to the ground (usually under 4 inches) reduce tripping hazards and provide a seamless surface. Their tight growth suppresses weeds and keeps the garden tidy.
Spreading Capability: Walkable ground covers often spread via stolons (above-ground runners) or rhizomes (underground stems), allowing them to form dense, carpet-like mats.
Adaptability and Resilience: These plants are usually tough, with the ability to tolerate a range of environmental stresses like drought, compacted soils, and temperature fluctuations.
Assessing Light Conditions
Full Sun: Direct sunlight for more than 6 hours a day. Typical of open lawns, south-facing yards, and exposed slopes.
Partial Shade: 3–6 hours of sunlight per day, often found on the east or west sides of buildings or under sparse tree cover.
Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight, often under dense tree canopies or along the north side of buildings.
Proper light assessment is critical. Choosing a sun-loving plant for a shaded area (or vice versa) will result in poor performance or even plant failure.
Walkable Ground Covers for Full Shade
1. Irish Moss
Light Needs: Thrives in full shade to partial shade, especially in cooler climates.
Foot Traffic: Tolerates light foot traffic, ideal for decorative pathways and borders.
Features: Rich green foliage that feels like velvet underfoot. Produces small, star-like white flowers in late spring.
Height: Grows to about 1–2 inches tall, forming a dense, cushion-like mat.
Care: Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Does not perform well in dry or hot conditions. Needs regular watering, especially during dry spells.
2. Corsican Mint
Light Needs: Full to partial shade; strong sunlight may scorch its delicate foliage.
Foot Traffic: Tolerates light foot traffic, suitable for stepping stone gaps and patio edges.
Height: Less than 1 inch tall, extremely low-growing.
Features: Miniature round green leaves emit a refreshing mint scent when stepped on. Produces tiny pale purple flowers.
Care: Needs rich, consistently moist soil. Struggles in dry conditions. Best used in shaded areas with good airflow.
3. Creeping Jenny
Light Needs: Shade to part sun; in shade, leaves stay bright green, while more sun brings golden hues.
Foot Traffic: Withstands light to moderate walking.
Height: Grows 2–4 inches high, but can stretch up if untrimmed.
Features: Fast-spreading ground cover with rounded leaves on long, trailing stems. Produces yellow cup-shaped flowers in late spring.
Care: Thrives in moist soils and will grow aggressively. Needs boundaries to prevent spreading into unwanted areas. Check out this complete care guide for growing Creeping Jenny.
4. Sweet Woodruff
Light Needs: Sweet Woodruff does best in full shade. Too much sun can cause foliage to yellow or burn.
Foot Traffic: Handles light foot traffic; best along lightly-used garden paths.
Height: 4–6 inches tall.
Features: Whorled, star-shaped leaves with a sweet fragrance. Produces clusters of tiny, white, sweet-smelling flowers in spring.
Care: Prefers humus-rich, consistently moist soil. Good for woodland gardens. It can go dormant in drought.
5. Blue Star Creeper
Light Needs: This ground cover grows in full shade to part sun.
Foot Traffic: Tolerates moderate foot traffic; excellent between pavers and flagstones.
Height: 2–3 inches tall.
Features: Fast-spreading mat with small, rounded green leaves. Blooms profusely with tiny, pale blue star-shaped flowers from spring through summer.
Care: Adaptable and easy to grow. Prefers moist but well-drained soil. It can be invasive in perfect conditions.
Walkable Ground Covers for Full Sun
6. Creeping Thyme
Light Needs: Full sun; performs best in 6+ hours of direct sunlight daily.
Foot Traffic: Excellent resilience; one of the best choices for high foot traffic.
Height: 1–3 inches tall.
Features: Aromatic foliage that releases a pleasant scent when walked on. Blooms with tiny purple or pink flowers in summer. Attracts bees and butterflies.
Care: Extremely drought-tolerant once established. Requires well-drained, sandy or rocky soil. Avoid overwatering. Complete Creeping Thyme growing and care guide.
7. Dymondia
Light Needs: Grows well in full sun. However, it can also tolerate extreme heat.
Foot Traffic: Withstands moderate to heavy foot traffic. Making it suitable for high-traffic areas.
Height: 2–3 inches tall.
Features: Narrow gray-green leaves with silvery undersides. Small yellow daisy-like flowers in summer. Forms a dense mat.
Care: Requires well-draining soil and low water. Excellent for hot climates and water-wise landscapes.
8. Woolly Thyme
Light Needs: Only does well in full sun. If you plant it in shaded areas, it will perform poorly.
Foot Traffic: This plant tolerates light to moderate traffic.
Height: 1–2 inches tall.
Features: Fine, fuzzy leaves give it a soft, woolly texture. Doesn’t flower as heavily as other thymes but has strong visual appeal.
Care: Perfect for dry, rocky soils. Needs excellent drainage. Avoid overwatering, or it may rot.
9. Roman Chamomile
Light Needs: This ground cover prefers full sun.
Foot Traffic: it can only tolerate light to moderate walking.
Height: 3–6 inches tall.
Features: Soft, fern-like, aromatic foliage. White daisy flowers bloom in summer and are known for calming herbal tea.
Care: Requires well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Avoid over-fertilizing. Trim regularly to maintain density.
10. Sedum eg Sedum acre & Sedum album
Light Needs: Generally, Sedums do well in full sun. However, some types do tolerate light shade.
Foot Traffic: Best for light foot traffic and doesn’t perform well in high-traffic areas.
Height: 1–4 inches, depending on variety.
Features: Succulent, evergreen leaves store water. Star-shaped flowers bloom in summer in yellow, white, or pink.
Care: Ideal for dry areas and rock gardens. Needs minimal water and thrives in poor soil. It can go dormant in extreme drought.
Walkable Ground Covers for Sun and Shade
11. Mazus
Light Needs: Mazus will do well in full sun to full shade, but prefers part sun.
Foot Traffic: It is also one of the ground covers that does well in moderate traffic areas.
Height: 2–4 inches tall.
Features: Spreads quickly to form a thick mat. Small, violet-blue flowers bloom from late spring to early summer.
Care: Needs regular moisture, especially in hot weather. Excellent between stepping stones and patios.
12. Bugleweed
Light Needs: Bugleweed tolerates full sun to full shade well.
Foot Traffic: Light to moderate tolerance.
Height: 2–4 inches (excluding flower spikes).
Features: Glossy foliage in green, bronze, and burgundy. Striking blue flower spikes in spring.
Care: Fast-spreading; ideal for erosion control. It can become invasive if not contained.
13. Miniature Brass Buttons
Light Needs: Prefers part sun but tolerates both sun and light shade.
Foot Traffic: This ground cover is only able to handle light foot traffic.
Height: 1–2 inches.
Features: Tiny fern-like leaves in green or bronze tones. Spreads by runners, forming a tight carpet.
Care: Prefers well-drained, moist soil. May go dormant in heat. Best in cooler climates.
14. Dichondra
Light Needs: Does well when planted in full sun to part shade.
Foot Traffic: This ground cover has moderate durability and is suitable for moderate traffic.
Height: 2–3 inches tall.
Features: Round, kidney-shaped leaves form a dense, velvety mat. Lush and uniform in appearance.
Care: Requires moderate watering and well-drained soil. Makes an excellent low-growing lawn substitute.
15. Lawn Chamomile (Non-flowering type)
Light Needs: It will do well in full sun to partial shade.
Foot Traffic: It also has moderate to heavy foot traffic tolerance.
Height: 2–4 inches.
Features: Bred specifically for ground cover use. Aromatic, soft foliage without flowering (so it stays neat and low).
Care: Needs regular mowing or trimming. Requires consistent watering to stay lush and green.
Planting and Maintenance Tips
Soil Preparation
- Remove all weeds and existing vegetation.
- Loosen soil and incorporate compost or sand based on plant needs.
- Perform a pH test; most ground covers prefer a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
Planting Tips
- Space plants 6–12 inches apart, depending on their spread rate.
- Mulch around new plants to retain moisture and prevent weed competition.
- Best planted in spring or early fall for optimal root development.
Care and Maintenance
- Water new plantings regularly until established (6–8 weeks).
- Reduce watering for drought-tolerant varieties after establishment.
- Trim plants occasionally to maintain shape and encourage dense growth.
- Use stepping stones in high-traffic areas to reduce wear on plants.
Final Thoughts
I love walkable ground covers because they offer an attractive, low-maintenance alternative to lawns and hardscaping.
They also offer options for every lighting condition, from dense shade to full sun, so you can create durable, green spaces that thrive underfoot.
I hope this post helps you choose a suitable ground cover plant that will meet your needs. Also, subscribe to my newsletter to receive the latest flower gardening posts and save the pin below.
