15 Easy Midwest Groundcovers

Moss phlox blooms early in the spring, carpeting the ground with flowers in shades of purple, pink or white. “Phlox subulata is perfectly well-suited to our climate,” says Richard Jauron, horticulture expert at Iowa State University. “Place it at the front of your garden and watch it spread.”

Zones: 3 to 9

Growing conditions: Full sun

Height: 3 to 6 inches

Spread: 1 to 2 feet

Easy-to-grow hostas spring up in hundreds of varieties. “Just group a bunch of hostas together, and you never have to weed,” says Esther McGinnis, horticulture expert at North Dakota State University. “They are probably the easiest groundcover to maintain.”

Zones: 3 to 8

Growing conditions: Part shade to full shade

Height: 9 to 12 inches

Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet

The showy violet blooms of Rozanne make the flower a groundcover favorite. It offers easy-to-maintain, non-stop flowering from May to July. “They stay put and give repeat bloom if you shear them,” McGinnis says. “Not a whole lot of effort required.”

Zones: 5 to 8

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Height: 1 to 1.5 feet

Spread: 1 to 2 feet

Three-leaved stonecrop features bunches of small, starlike flowers that give a natural succulent look. Since sedum ternatum is an early bloomer, it easily attracts pollinators and butterflies. “I’m just a fan of the succulent leaves and all the shapes and forms,” says Cheryl Boyer, horticulture expert at Kansas State University. “They are so beautiful.” 

Zones: 4 to 8

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Height: 3 to 6 inches

Spread: 6 to 9 inches

Photo: Gustav Svensson

Though not native to the Midwest, mazus reptans makes an excellent low-maintenance groundcover. The plant’s petite purple flowers bloom in showy clusters during early- to mid-summer. Ideal for growing around stepping stones.

Zones: 5 to 8

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Height: 3 inches

Spread: 6 to 12 inches

This European variety of ginger displays shiny, heart-shape leaves and grows tiny greenish-yellow flowers in April and May. “Asarum europaeum offers a really nice contrast with ferns and other fine-texture perennials,” says Lisa Johnson, horticulture educator for University of Wisconsin-Extension. “It’s a little bit more refined than the common ginger.”

Zones: 4 to 7

Growing conditions: Part shade to full shade

Height: 3 to 6 inches

Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet

The ‘Angelina’ variation of stonecrop adorns a garden with its spiky, colorful leaves. Its color evolves throughout the year from yellow in the spring to reddish-orange in the fall. “It’s fun just because of the vibrant colors it has,” McGinnis says.

Zones: 5 to 8

Growing conditions: Full sun

Height: 3 to 6 inches

Spread: 1 to 2 feet

Barrenwort offers year-round color as a four-season plant. The leaves cast tones of crimson, green or bronze depending on the season. The plant blooms in early spring with wiry yellow flowers. “It’s very vigorous—not a wimpy shade plant,” says Hoosier Gardener blogger Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp. 

Zones: 5 to 9

Growing conditions: Part shade to full shade

Height: 6 to 12 inches

Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet

Photo: Peter Coxhead

This vivacious plant thrives even in rocky or sandy soil and adds texture to a garden with needlelike leaves. The bright yellow, daisy-like blooms dazzle from late spring through summer. Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' "is a heavy, long-time bloomer,” Johnson says. “It just goes on and on forever.” 

Zones: 3 to 9

Growing conditions: Full sun

Height: 1 to 1.5 feet

Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet

The trumpet-shape blooms of daylilies provide fragrance and color contrast to any garden. Plus, the hardy flower crowds out weeds and attracts butterflies.

Zones: 4 to 10

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Height: 2 to 3 feet

Spread: 1.5 to 2 feet

Nepeta racemosa ‘Blue Wonder’ displays spires of purple blooms early in the spring that rebloom nearly all season. ‘Blue Wonder’ flaunts fragrant, silver-green foliage, and it allures cats as a hybrid of catnip (nepeta cataria).

Zones: 3 to 8

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Height: 9 inches to 1.5 feet

Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet

Photo: Missouri Botanical Garden

This easy-to-grow flower “practically grows on concrete,” Sharp says. The fragrant plant forms a tight matte of pink, needle-like flowers excellent for cutting. As an evergreen, Dianthus 'Bath's Pink' retains its foliage in the winter.

Zones: 3 to 9

Growing conditions: Full sun

Height: 9 to 12 inches

Spread: 6 to 12 inches

Phlox stolonifera grows tall clusters of fragrant pink or violet blooms in late summer. The easy-to-grow flower tolerates drought and thrives in wooded areas.

Zones: 5 to 8

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Height: 9 to 12 inches

Spread: 9 inches to 1.5 feet

Foamflower stages three-season interest with leaves that turn reddish-bronze in the autumn and winter. Tiarella cordifolia’s tiny white or pink flowers attract pollinators.

Zones: 4 to 9

Growing conditions: Part shade to full shade

Height: 9 to 12 inches

Spread: 1 to 2 feet

Commonly known as Pennsylvania sedge, this grasslike plant softens a garden with its dainty, draping leaves. “It’s a perfect groundcover for the Midwest for a difficult situation,” McGinnis says. “It’s a great one for planting under trees.”

Zones: 3 to 8

Growing conditions: Part shade to full shade

Height: 6 to 12 inches

Spread: 6 to 12 inches