Finding the perfect ground cover for shaded areas in your garden can be a challenge.
Many plants struggle without direct sunlight, but these shade-tolerant ground covers thrive in low-light conditions, making them an ideal choice for landscaping beneath trees, along pathways, or in dim corners of your yard.
Not only do these plants add beauty and texture, but they also help prevent soil erosion, reduce weed growth, and require minimal maintenance.
Below are 20 of the best shade-loving ground covers that will bring life to your garden with their unique foliage and flowers.
Why Choose Shade-Loving Ground Covers?
Ground covers are not just “fillers” – they’re multifunctional plants that improve the overall health and appearance of your landscape.
Here’s why they’re worth planting:
- Low maintenance: Many shade-tolerant ground covers are hardy, resilient, and self-spreading.
- Weed prevention: Dense mats of foliage smother unwanted weeds naturally.
- Soil improvement: Some varieties enrich soil with organic matter and help regulate moisture.
- Aesthetic value: They add texture, seasonal flowers, colorful foliage, and vibrant greenery to shaded spaces.
- Problem solving: Ideal for tough-to-grow spots under trees, along slopes, and in heavily shaded garden beds.
Now, let’s explore the top 20 shade-loving ground covers that will bring your garden to life.
Spotted Dead-Nettle (Lamium maculatum)
Spotted dead-nettle is prized for its variegated silver and green foliage, which brightens up dark garden corners.
It spreads quickly to form a dense mat and produces small pink, purple, or white flowers in spring and summer.
Height: 6-12 inches
Blooms: Pink, white, or purple flowers
Best for: Woodland gardens, shaded flower beds
Care: Thrives in poor soil, deer-resistant
Common Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
Periwinkle is a classic ground cover with glossy evergreen leaves and delicate violet-blue flowers that appear in spring.
It spreads vigorously, making it one of the most effective weed suppressors for shaded areas.
Height: 6 inches
Blooms: Blue or violet flowers
Best for: Large shady areas, suppressing weeds
Care: Easy to grow, drought-resistant
Creeping Saxifrage (Saxifraga stolonifera)
Creeping saxifrage creates a lush carpet of round green leaves with red-tinged undersides.
In late spring, it sends up delicate stems topped with white, star-like flowers that add brightness to shady corners.
Height: 6 inches
Blooms: White star-shaped flowers
Best for: Flower beds, rocky gardens
Care: Prefers moist soil, cold-hardy
20 Decorative Shade-Loving Ground Covers
by Linda Parker
August 7, 2021 – Updated on September 12, 2025
Finding the perfect ground cover for shaded areas in your garden can be a challenge.
Many plants struggle without direct sunlight, but these shade-tolerant ground covers thrive in low-light conditions, making them an ideal choice for landscaping beneath trees, along pathways, or in dim corners of your yard.
Not only do these plants add beauty and texture, but they also help prevent soil erosion, reduce weed growth, and require minimal maintenance.
Below are 20 of the best shade-loving ground covers that will bring life to your garden with their unique foliage and flowers.
Why Choose Shade-Loving Ground Covers?
Ground covers are not just “fillers” – they’re multifunctional plants that improve the overall health and appearance of your landscape.
Here’s why they’re worth planting:
- Low maintenance: Many shade-tolerant ground covers are hardy, resilient, and self-spreading.
- Weed prevention: Dense mats of foliage smother unwanted weeds naturally.
- Soil improvement: Some varieties enrich soil with organic matter and help regulate moisture.
- Aesthetic value: They add texture, seasonal flowers, colorful foliage, and vibrant greenery to shaded spaces.
- Problem solving: Ideal for tough-to-grow spots under trees, along slopes, and in heavily shaded garden beds.
Now, let’s explore the top 20 shade-loving ground covers that will bring your garden to life.
1. Blue Lily Turf (Liriope muscari)
Blue lily turf is a versatile evergreen ground cover that forms grass-like clumps of arching foliage.
In summer, it produces striking purple flower spikes that rise above the leaves, followed by small black berries in fall.
Height: 12 inches
Blooms: Purple flowers in summer
Best for: Borders, walkways, and shaded garden edges
Care: Low maintenance, drought-resistant
2. Spotted Dead-Nettle (Lamium maculatum)
Spotted dead-nettle is prized for its variegated silver and green foliage, which brightens up dark garden corners.
It spreads quickly to form a dense mat and produces small pink, purple, or white flowers in spring and summer.
Height: 6-12 inches
Blooms: Pink, white, or purple flowers
Best for: Woodland gardens, shaded flower beds
Care: Thrives in poor soil, deer-resistant
3. Common Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
Periwinkle is a classic ground cover with glossy evergreen leaves and delicate violet-blue flowers that appear in spring.
It spreads vigorously, making it one of the most effective weed suppressors for shaded areas.
Height: 6 inches
Blooms: Blue or violet flowers
Best for: Large shady areas, suppressing weeds
Care: Easy to grow, drought-resistant
Creeping Saxifrage (Saxifraga stolonifera)
Creeping saxifrage creates a lush carpet of round green leaves with red-tinged undersides.
In late spring, it sends up delicate stems topped with white, star-like flowers that add brightness to shady corners.
Height: 6 inches
Blooms: White star-shaped flowers
Best for: Flower beds, rocky gardens
Care: Prefers moist soil, cold-hardy
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
This low-growing perennial has heart-shaped leaves that form a thick, attractive mat of greenery.
Though its small brown flowers are hidden beneath the foliage, wild ginger shines as a ground cover in deep shade.
Height: 2-4 inches
Blooms: Small brown flowers (hidden under foliage)
Best for: Woodland gardens, under trees
Care: Requires moist soil, deer-resistant
Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana)
Impatiens are one of the most colorful shade ground covers, producing vibrant blooms in nearly every color of the rainbow.
Perfect for mass plantings, they bring seasonal brightness to shady areas.
Height: 12-18 inches
Blooms: Pink, red, orange, white, or purple flowers
Best for: Edging, containers, and mass plantings
Care: Needs regular watering, prefers rich soil
Variegated Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)
This creeping perennial has rounded leaves with creamy white edges, creating striking contrast in shady beds.
In spring, it produces clusters of tiny purple flowers that attract pollinators.
Height: 4-8 inches
Blooms: Tiny purple flowers
Best for: Rock gardens, shaded slopes
Care: Spreads quickly, drought-resistant
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
Creeping Jenny is a vigorous spreader with bright chartreuse leaves that stand out in shaded areas.
Its trailing habit makes it a great option for both ground cover and containers.
Height: 2-4 inches
Blooms: Yellow flowers in spring
Best for: Pathways, hanging baskets, moist areas
Care: Needs consistent moisture, invasive if unchecked
Blue Star Creeper (Isotoma fluviatilis)
Blue star creeper forms a fine-textured carpet dotted with dainty blue star-shaped flowers from spring through fall.
It’s tough enough to grow between stepping stones.
Height: 2-6 inches
Blooms: Blue flowers from spring to fall
Best for: Between stepping stones, rock gardens
Care: Tolerates foot traffic, low maintenance
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
Bunchberry is a member of the dogwood family that grows close to the ground. It offers multi-season interest with white flowers in spring, followed by clusters of bright red berries in summer.
Height: 9 inches
Blooms: White flowers in spring
Best for: Under trees, woodland settings
Care: Prefers cool, moist soil
Carpet Boxwood (Pachysandra terminalis)
Carpet boxwood is an evergreen ground cover with glossy dark green leaves. It spreads slowly but steadily to create dense coverage in shady spots.
Height: 6-12 inches
Best for: Under trees, shady borders
Care: Requires well-draining soil, deer-resistant
