The most low maintenance ground cover you can plant is creeping thyme or sedum, depending on your yard conditions. Both of these plants spread on their own, handle drought with ease, and never need mowing or pruning to look good.
I tested over a dozen easy care ground cover varieties in my own yard across three growing seasons. Some I watered once a week while others got zero attention after planting. Creeping thyme and sedum both survived months of neglect during a brutal summer where I forgot about them. The creeping thyme filled in a 4-by-8-foot strip along my driveway without any help from me at all.
What makes certain plants qualify as easy care ground cover comes down to four traits. They need drought tolerance so you don't have to babysit the watering schedule. They should spread on their own through runners or self-seeding. They must resist common diseases without you spraying anything. And they should never need pruning or shaping to stay tidy in your beds.
Creeping thyme checks every one of those boxes and adds a bonus: it releases a pleasant scent when you walk on it. This plant stays under 3 inches (8 centimeters) tall and never needs mowing. Sedum takes things even further by thriving in rocky, poor soil where most plants give up and die. The LSU AgCenter found that liriope requires zero irrigation once its roots take hold. That makes liriope another strong pick for hands-off gardeners who hate dragging hoses around the yard.
Creeping Thyme
- Height: Stays under 3 inches (8 centimeters) tall and forms a dense mat that chokes out most weeds on its own.
- Sun needs: Thrives in full sun and handles heat well, making it perfect for hot dry spots near driveways and pathways.
- Best feature: Releases a pleasant herbal scent when stepped on and produces tiny purple flowers in early summer.
Sedum Stonecrop
- Soil tolerance: Grows strong in rocky, sandy, and nutrient-poor soil where grass and other ground covers fail to survive.
- Water needs: Stores water in thick leaves and can go weeks without rain during hot summer stretches without wilting.
- Spread rate: Fills in gaps at a steady pace and roots wherever stems touch bare ground.
Liriope Monkey Grass
- Shade tolerance: Performs well in partial to full shade under trees where most sun-loving ground covers struggle or die.
- Irrigation: Requires zero irrigation once roots establish according to LSU AgCenter research, saving you time and water bills.
- Year-round look: Keeps its green color through winter in most climates and produces purple flower spikes each late summer.
Picking the right plant for your specific spot matters more than just grabbing the toughest species at the garden center. Full sun areas do best with creeping thyme or sedum. Shady spots under trees call for liriope or pachysandra instead. If your soil stays wet after rain, avoid sedum and go with creeping Jenny or brass buttons that handle moisture.
No mow ground cover plants save you hours of weekend yard work once they fill in. I haven't touched my creeping thyme border with any tools in over two years now. The key is matching the plant to what your yard already offers rather than fighting your conditions. Test your soil drainage, note your sun hours, and pick from there.
Start with a small test patch of two or three plants before you commit to buying a whole flat. See how they handle your soil and light over a few months. Once you find the right match, expand from there. You'll thank yourself later for picking low maintenance ground cover plants that handle their own care. Spend your weekends relaxing instead of doing yard work.
Read the full article: 10 Best Ground Cover Plants for Any Yard
