Groundcovers
Low-growing plants for erosion control and filling garden beds in Northeast Florida.
GroundcoverAsiatic Jasmine
Trachelospermum asiaticum
Asiatic Jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) is a vigorous evergreen groundcover native to Japan and Korea, forming a dense, weed-suppressing mat of small, glossy dark green leaves on woody twining stems. It is one of the most widely used low-maintenance groundcovers in warm-climate landscapes.
From $5.95
GroundcoverBaby Sun Rose
Aptenia cordifolia
Aptenia (Aptenia cordifolia) is a fast-spreading succulent groundcover native to South Africa, bearing small heart-shaped fleshy leaves on trailing stems. Bright magenta daisy-like flowers bloom freely in warm weather, and the plant is widely used to cover slopes and bare ground in tropical and subtropical gardens.
From $6.95
Baby Tears
Soleirolia soleirolii
Baby Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) is a delicate creeping perennial from the western Mediterranean islands, forming a dense, mossy carpet of tiny round leaves on threadlike stems. It thrives in moist, shaded spots and is popular as a groundcover between stepping stones, in terrariums, and as a houseplant.
From $12.95
Beach Tea
Croton punctatus
Beach Tea (Croton punctatus) is a low, dense native shrub of Florida's coastal dunes, prized for its silvery-scaled foliage and small, fragrant white flowers that bloom nearly year-round. Hardy in zone 9b, it stabilizes sandy soils and attracts pollinators while tolerating drought, salt wind, and full coastal sun.
From $9.95
GroundcoverBlue Daze
Evolvulus glomeratus
Blue Daze (Evolvulus glomeratus) is a low-spreading perennial native to Brazil in the morning glory family, producing abundant sky-blue flowers against soft, silvery-green leaves throughout the warm season. Rated hardy to USDA zone 9b by UF/IFAS, it is an excellent Florida-friendly groundcover and container plant that blooms reliably from spring through fall in NE Florida.
From $6.95
GroundcoverBrowne's Savory
Clinopodium brownei
A long-lived native Florida aquatic perennial wildflower with a low, sprawling growth habit that forms dense mats by rooting at stem nodes. Bears tiny tubular two-lipped flowers in lavender to pinkish-white with dark purple throats, and has strongly aromatic foliage.
From $9.95
GroundcoverCreeping Jenny
Lysimachia nummularia
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) is a fast-spreading, low-growing perennial from Europe with round, coin-shaped leaves and small yellow summer flowers. It is not reliably hardy in NE Florida's zone 9b summer heat and is best used as a seasonal container plant or cool-season annual in this region.
From $6.95
Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) is a mat-forming evergreen groundcover that explodes with dense sheets of pink, purple, white, or blue flowers in spring. In NE Florida (zone 9b), it is marginal — best in well-drained, elevated spots with afternoon shade and excellent air circulation; it does not tolerate Florida's combination of summer heat and humidity well.
From $9.95
GroundcoverCreeping Raspberry
Rubus hayata-koidzumii
Creeping Raspberry (Rubus hayata-koidzumii) is a low, mat-forming groundcover from Taiwan's mountains with crinkled dark green leaves and small white spring flowers followed by tiny red fruits. It is a temperate species (best zones 6–9) that is marginal in zone 9b and may struggle with NE Florida's summer heat — site carefully in a shaded, well-drained location.
From $9.95
GroundcoverFrogfruit
Phyla nodiflora
Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is a native creeping perennial found across the southeastern United States and tropics, forming a dense low mat with tiny pink-and-white clover-like flower heads that bloom prolifically in warm weather. It is an outstanding butterfly larval host plant and nectar source, widely used as a lawn alternative.
From $9.95
GroundcoverGolden Creeper
Ernodea littoralis
Golden Beach Creeper (Ernodea littoralis) is a Florida-native coastal groundcover with narrow, glossy leaves and small white to pink tubular flowers followed by yellow-orange fruit. Endemic to sandy shorelines and coastal scrub in south Florida, it is best suited to warm, frost-free coastal sites south of zone 9b, though it may survive sheltered NE Florida microclimates.
From $6.95
GroundcoverGopher Apple
Licania michauxii
Gopher Apple (Geobalanus oblongifolius) is a native Florida groundcover shrub that spreads by an extensive underground root system, forming low colonies of leathery oblong leaves in dry, sandy upland habitats. Small white flowers are followed by plum-like fruits eaten by gopher tortoises, black bears, and other wildlife.
From $9.95
GroundcoverGreen and Gold
Chrysogonum virginianum
Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum var. australe) is a low, spreading native groundcover from the eastern US — including Florida — bearing cheerful yellow star-shaped flowers from spring through fall. It forms a mat of dark green, semi-evergreen foliage ideal for shaded woodland gardens and naturalized areas in NE Florida.
From $6.95
GroundcoverIrish Moss
Sagina subulata
Irish Moss (Sagina subulata) is a low, moss-like perennial ground cover with fine-textured bright green foliage and tiny white spring flowers, suited to cool, moist, shaded spots. In NE Florida zone 9b it is best used as a temporary cool-season plant; summer heat and humidity typically cause significant decline, and it is not reliably hardy here (native range zones 4–8).
From $9.95
GroundcoverLamb's Ear
Stachys byzantina
Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina) is a spreading perennial from the Middle East and Central Asia, grown primarily for its large, densely woolly silver-white leaves that are remarkably soft to the touch. Tall spikes of small pink-purple flowers appear in summer, and it is widely used as an edging or foliage accent plant.
From $6.95
GroundcoverLiriope
Liriope muscari
Liriope (Liriope muscari) is a clumping, grass-like perennial from China and Japan with arching strap-shaped leaves and spikes of purple to white flowers in summer, followed by dark berry-like fruit. It is one of the most widely used low-maintenance groundcovers and border plants in warm-climate landscapes.
From $6.95
GroundcoverMecardonia
Mecardonia
Mecardonia is a low-growing native Florida groundcover in the plantain family, forming spreading mats just 3–6 inches tall covered in small bright yellow flowers from spring through fall. It thrives in moist to wet conditions — ideal for NE Florida rain gardens, pond margins, and irrigated moist borders where it provides long-season color with minimal care.
From $7.95
GroundcoverMondo Grass
Ophiopogon
Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon intermedius) is a clumping, grass-like evergreen perennial from Asia with broader, arching deep green leaves than the more common dwarf mondo. Small lavender flowers in summer give way to blue-black berries, and it forms a dense, weed-suppressing groundcover in shaded landscapes.
From $2.50
GroundcoverPerennial Peanut
Arachis glabrata
Perennial Peanut (Arachis glabrata) is a low-growing, nitrogen-fixing groundcover native to South America, producing cheerful bright yellow peanut-like flowers nearly year-round in warm climates. It forms a dense, attractive turf-like mat and is widely promoted in Florida as a low-maintenance, no-mow lawn alternative.
From $6.95
GroundcoverPeriwinkle
Vinca
Periwinkle (Vinca spp.) is a fast-spreading evergreen groundcover producing pinwheel-shaped flowers in lavender-blue, pink, or white from spring through fall. It performs well in NE Florida zone 9b as a groundcover for borders and shaded areas. Note: Vinca major, the large-leaved species, has invasive potential — site carefully to prevent escape into natural areas, and consider heat-tolerant Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) as an alternative annual for full-sun beds.
From $6.95
GroundcoverRunning Oak
Quercus pumila
Runner Oak (Quercus pumila) is a low-growing, stoloniferous native oak found in pine flatwoods and sandhills throughout the southeastern coastal plain. It spreads by underground runners to form dense, knee-high colonies of narrow, simple leaves and produces small acorns that support native wildlife.
From $34.95
GroundcoverSwamp Twinflower
Dyschoriste humistrata
Swamp Twinflower (Dyschoriste humistrata) is a Florida-native perennial groundcover of moist, shaded wetland edges, bearing attractive lavender-purple trumpet-shaped flowers paired in leaf axils. It spreads by decumbent rooting stems to form a low cover and serves as a larval host for the common buckeye butterfly.
From $9.95
GroundcoverTwinflower
Dyschoriste oblongifolia
Twinflower (Dyschoriste oblongifolia) is a native Florida groundcover perennial with oblong leaves and paired lavender-purple trumpet flowers that bloom from spring through fall, with heaviest bloom in May. It spreads by underground runners and self-seeds to form a soft, low mat and is a larval host for the Common Buckeye butterfly — an ideal low-care groundcover for sunny, sandy NE Florida gardens.
From $7.95
GroundcoverWater Hyssop
Bacopa monnieri
Herb of Grace (Bacopa monnieri) is a creeping succulent-stemmed perennial native to wetlands across tropical and subtropical regions, bearing small rounded leaves and tiny white to pale lavender flowers. Long used in Ayurvedic medicine, it serves as a lush aquatic or moisture-loving groundcover in warm climates.
From $9.95