Bare spots in your yard can be frustrating, especially in Florida’s hot and humid climate. Ground covers offer a smart solution that spreads quickly, keeps weeds away, and adds beauty to your landscape.
If you’re dealing with sandy soil or shady areas, the right ground cover can transform those empty patches into lush, green spaces in no time.
1. Sunshine Mimosa
Florida’s warm weather makes Sunshine Mimosa a champion spreader that fills bare areas within weeks. Its delicate, fern-like leaves create a soft carpet that stays low to the ground, requiring minimal maintenance once established.
Watch as pink pom-pom flowers appear throughout summer, attracting butterflies and adding cheerful color. It thrives in full sun and tolerates drought conditions beautifully, making it perfect for water-conscious gardeners. Sandy soil doesn’t slow it down one bit.
2. Perennial Peanut
Imagine a ground cover that never needs mowing and stays green year-round. Perennial Peanut spreads through underground runners, creating a thick mat that chokes out weeds naturally. Its bright yellow flowers resemble tiny pea blossoms and bloom from spring through fall.
Drought tolerance is one of its superpowers, surviving Florida’s dry spells without extra watering. It handles foot traffic surprisingly well, making it ideal for pathways and play areas.
3. Asiatic Jasmine
Dark green, glossy leaves make Asiatic Jasmine a favorite for creating elegant, uniform ground coverage. Unlike its fragrant cousins, this variety focuses its energy on rapid spreading rather than producing showy blooms.
Shade tolerance sets it apart from many competitors, thriving under trees where grass struggles to grow. It forms a dense, weed-blocking blanket that requires trimming just once or twice yearly. Heat and humidity don’t faze it, and it bounces back quickly from occasional cold snaps.
4. Beach Sunflower
Coastal gardeners swear by Beach Sunflower for its salt tolerance and rapid growth habit. Cheerful yellow daisy-like blooms appear almost continuously, brightening even the dreariest patches. Its thick, succulent leaves store water efficiently, helping it survive scorching summer days without complaint.
Sprawling stems root wherever they touch soil, creating new plants and expanding coverage naturally. Sandy, poor soil actually suits it better than rich garden beds, making it wonderfully low-maintenance.
5. Wedelia
Florida gardeners looking for fast results turn to Wedelia, which can cover bare ground in just a few months. Golden yellow flowers bloom prolifically, creating a cheerful blanket that looks professionally landscaped. Its vigorous growth means you’ll need to contain it with edging or barriers to prevent it from wandering into unwanted areas.
Full sun brings out its best performance, though it tolerates partial shade reasonably well. Regular trimming keeps it neat and encourages even denser growth.
6. Confederate Jasmine
Fragrance lovers adore Confederate Jasmine for its intoxicating scent that fills spring evenings with sweetness. Glossy evergreen leaves provide year-round interest, while clusters of white pinwheel-shaped flowers steal the show during blooming season.
As a ground cover, it works beautifully on slopes where erosion threatens bare soil. It climbs if given support but stays low when planted horizontally. Moderate growth speed means it won’t overwhelm your garden beds unexpectedly.
7. Frogfruit
Native to Florida, Frogfruit earns gold stars for supporting local wildlife while covering bare patches efficiently. Tiny purple and white flowers attract butterflies by the dozens, creating a living tapestry of color and movement. It stays extremely low, rarely exceeding three inches in height.
Lawn alternatives don’t get much tougher than this plant, which tolerates light foot traffic and bounces back from mowing. Wet or dry conditions suit it equally well, adapting to whatever Mother Nature delivers.
8. Liriope
Grass-like foliage gives Liriope a neat, tidy appearance that complements formal and casual landscapes alike. Purple or white flower spikes emerge in late summer, adding vertical interest above the arching leaves.
Shady spots under oaks and palms become beautiful features instead of problem areas when planted with this reliable performer. It clumps slowly, spreading to fill spaces without becoming invasive. Deer leave it alone, and it requires virtually no maintenance once established in the Florida ground.
9. Trailing Lantana
Colorful blooms in shades of yellow, orange, purple, and white make Trailing Lantana a showstopper for covering banks and borders. Butterflies and hummingbirds visit constantly, turning your bare patches into wildlife magnets. Its trailing stems cascade beautifully over walls and edges.
Heat doesn’t bother it at all, thriving in Florida’s intense summer sun without wilting or fading. Once established, it laughs at drought conditions and keeps blooming without extra water or fertilizer.
10. Blue Daze
Delicate sky-blue flowers open each morning on Blue Daze, creating a dreamy, cottage-garden atmosphere. Soft gray-green foliage provides the perfect backdrop for those stunning blooms that appear reliably from spring through fall in Florida.
Hanging baskets often feature this plant, but it performs equally well as a ground cover in sunny spots. It prefers well-drained soil and rewards minimal care with maximum beauty. Afternoon shade helps flowers last longer on scorching summer days.
11. Oyster Plant
Bold purple and green striped foliage makes Oyster Plant impossible to ignore in any landscape design. It spreads moderately fast, filling bare areas with dramatic color that looks tropical and modern simultaneously. Small white flowers tucked among the leaves add subtle charm.
Shade tolerance combined with striking appearance solves the common problem of boring, dark corners in Florida gardens. It stays compact and tidy, rarely requiring trimming or special attention beyond occasional watering during extended dry periods.