Tired of those bare patches in your California garden? Ground covers are the perfect solution for filling empty spaces while adding beauty and preventing soil erosion.
These fast-spreading plants thrive in our unique climate and can transform patchy areas into lush carpets of greenery with minimal effort.
1. Creeping Thyme
Imagine walking through your garden and catching whiffs of delightful lemon-mint scent with every step. Creeping thyme creates exactly this experience while forming a dense mat of tiny leaves and colorful flowers.
This drought-tolerant champion spreads quickly in sunny spots, reaching about 2-4 inches tall. The purple, pink, or white blooms attract butterflies and bees during summer months.
2. Dymondia Margaretae
Silver carpet describes this ground cover perfectly! The narrow leaves have green tops and silvery undersides that create a stunning two-tone effect when they catch the breeze.
Native to South Africa but perfectly adapted to California’s climate, Dymondia forms a dense, weed-suppressing mat only 1-2 inches tall. Small yellow daisy-like flowers appear occasionally, adding cheerful pops of color.
3. Blue Star Creeper
Tiny blue star-shaped flowers dancing above a carpet of emerald green foliage make this ground cover irresistible. Blue star creeper thrives between stepping stones and pavers, creating magical pathways through your garden.
Growing just 2-3 inches tall, this quick-spreading plant handles light foot traffic with ease. Unlike some aggressive spreaders, it plays nicely with neighboring plants without overwhelming them.
4. Elfin Thyme
Miniature in every way, Elfin thyme creates the most adorable tiny landscape you’ll ever see in your garden. The leaves are smaller than regular thyme, forming an incredibly dense carpet that resembles a miniature forest when viewed up close.
Perfect for rock gardens and fairy garden settings, this slow-growing beauty reaches only 1 inch in height. Pink-purple flowers appear in summer, attracting tiny pollinators to your magical ground cover.
5. Woolly Thyme
Fuzzy gray-green leaves feel like touching soft lamb’s ears, making woolly thyme a textural delight in any California garden. Children especially love running their fingers across this velvety ground cover. Extremely drought-tolerant once established, it thrives in poor, rocky soil where other plants struggle.
Pink flowers appear in summer, creating a beautiful contrast against the silvery foliage while attracting beneficial insects to your garden.
6. Corsican Mint
Step on this ground cover and release an incredible burst of minty fragrance! Corsican mint creates the most aromatic walkway imaginable with its intensely scented tiny leaves. The emerald green foliage forms a dense carpet only half an inch tall, making it perfect between stepping stones.
Unlike other mints, it’s relatively well-behaved and won’t take over your entire garden, though it does appreciate consistent moisture.
7. Sedum ‘Angelina’
Neon yellow-green needlelike foliage makes Sedum ‘Angelina’ look almost artificial in its brightness. This eye-catching succulent ground cover turns coppery-orange in winter, providing year-round interest in your California landscape.
Spreading quickly in sunny, dry spots, it reaches about 3-6 inches tall. The fleshy leaves store water, allowing this plant to thrive during drought while still maintaining its vibrant color that practically glows in the garden.
8. Prostrate Rosemary
Cascading over walls and spilling across slopes, prostrate rosemary brings Mediterranean charm to California gardens. The woody stems covered in aromatic needle-like leaves create a beautiful trailing effect.
Blue flowers appear abundantly in spring, attracting bees and butterflies. Unlike upright rosemary, this variety grows only 6-12 inches tall while spreading up to 8 feet wide, making it perfect for covering large bare areas quickly.
9. Myoporum Parvifolium
Lightning-fast growth makes Myoporum a superstar for quickly covering bare soil in California gardens. The glossy, bright green leaves form a dense mat that effectively suppresses weeds while looking lush year-round.
Tiny white flowers appear in spring, creating a starry effect against the green background. This Australian native handles coastal conditions beautifully, tolerating salt spray, drought, and poor soil while spreading up to 9 feet wide.
10. Cotoneaster ‘Lowfast’
Red berries against dark green foliage create dramatic color contrast in fall and winter with Cotoneaster ‘Lowfast’. Birds absolutely love these bright berries, bringing delightful wildlife activity to your garden. This woody ground cover spreads quickly, reaching only 10 inches tall but extending up to 15 feet wide.
The arching branches root where they touch soil, helping stabilize slopes and prevent erosion in challenging California landscapes.
11. Ceanothus ‘Centennial’
Masses of brilliant blue flowers cover this California native ground cover each spring, creating a breathtaking display that looks like a flowing river of color. Hummingbirds and native bees flock to these nectar-rich blooms.
Growing only 8-12 inches tall but spreading 6-8 feet wide, ‘Centennial’ has adapted perfectly to our state’s climate. The glossy, small leaves remain attractive year-round with absolutely no summer irrigation needed once established.
12. Trailing Lantana
Butterfly magnet! Trailing lantana attracts these beautiful winged visitors with its clusters of colorful flowers that bloom almost continuously in California gardens. Available in purple, white, pink, or multi-colored varieties to suit any garden design.
This heat-loving ground cover spreads quickly in sunny spots, growing 1-2 feet tall and extending 3-6 feet wide. The slightly rough-textured leaves emit a distinctive aroma when brushed against, helping deter deer and rabbits.
13. Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’
Rich purple flower clusters hover above the foliage on short stems, creating the illusion of a floating purple cloud in your garden. ‘Homestead Purple’ verbena blooms repeatedly from spring through fall in most California climates.
This fast-spreading ground cover reaches about 6-12 inches tall while extending 3-4 feet wide. The deeply-cut, dark green leaves form a dense mat that effectively prevents soil erosion on slopes while the flowers attract beneficial pollinators.
14. Pacific Coast Iris
Elegant flowers in shades of purple, blue, yellow, and white make Pacific Coast iris a sophisticated native ground cover for California gardens. These graceful blooms appear in spring, dancing above narrow, arching foliage.
Unlike bearded iris, these natives spread by creeping rhizomes to form attractive drifts about 12-18 inches tall. They thrive in partial shade, making them perfect for brightening those tricky spots under oak trees where many other plants struggle.