Keeping your garden looking lively through Wisconsin’s long winters doesn’t have to be a challenge. These hardy ground covers hold onto their green charm even when snow blankets the landscape.
Perfect for adding texture, color, and life to your yard, they make winter gardens feel far from dull. Let’s explore some low-maintenance plants that keep your outdoor space cheerful all season long.
1. Creeping Juniper
With its tough-as-nails attitude, Creeping Juniper laughs in the face of Wisconsin winters. This low-growing evergreen spreads across your yard like a living carpet, keeping its blue-green needles fresh even when temperatures plummet.
Deer tend to leave it alone, which is a huge bonus for Wisconsin gardeners. It thrives in poor soil and handles drought surprisingly well once established. Plant it on slopes where grass struggles to grow, and watch it work its magic year-round.
2. Wintergreen
Native to Wisconsin forests, Wintergreen brings a delightful minty scent to your garden alongside its glossy leaves. Those cheerful red berries appear in fall and stick around through winter, creating a festive look against the snow.
Shade doesn’t bother this plant one bit—it actually prefers growing under trees. The leaves turn slightly burgundy in cold weather, adding extra visual interest. Wildlife appreciate the berries, making your yard a winter haven for birds.
3. Pachysandra
Pachysandra transforms those tricky shaded spots under trees into lush green carpets throughout Wisconsin winters. Its glossy leaves form such dense mats that weeds barely stand a chance of breaking through.
Once established, this ground cover basically takes care of itself with minimal fuss. It spreads steadily without becoming invasive, creating uniform coverage that looks professionally landscaped. The plant stays compact, rarely growing taller than six inches, making maintenance a breeze for busy homeowners.
4. English Ivy
Those distinctive lobed leaves of English Ivy stay remarkably green even during Wisconsin’s harshest months. It climbs walls, covers slopes, and fills bare spots with impressive determination.
Keep an eye on this enthusiastic grower, though—it can get a bit too ambitious if left unchecked. In Wisconsin, the cold winters actually help keep it somewhat contained compared to warmer regions. Regular trimming maintains its appearance and prevents it from climbing where you don’t want it.
5. Bearberry
Also called Kinnikinnick, Bearberry hugs the ground tightly with its glossy little leaves that bronze beautifully in winter. This Wisconsin native thrives in sandy, acidic soil where other plants throw in the towel.
Bright red berries decorate the plant from fall through winter, attracting hungry birds to your yard. It spreads slowly but steadily, creating a tough mat that handles foot traffic reasonably well. Perfect for rock gardens or challenging spots with poor soil.
6. Periwinkle
Periwinkle’s cheerful purple-blue flowers steal the show in spring, but those dark green leaves deserve equal attention for their winter performance. This reliable ground cover tolerates shade like a champion across Wisconsin yards.
It spreads through trailing stems that root wherever they touch soil, filling spaces efficiently. The plant handles dry conditions under trees where grass typically fails miserably. Occasional trimming keeps it looking tidy and prevents it from wandering into unwanted areas.
7. Creeping Phlox
Before those stunning spring flowers arrive, Creeping Phlox maintains its needle-like evergreen foliage throughout Wisconsin winters. It forms dense mats that cascade beautifully over rock walls and garden edges.
Full sun makes this plant happiest, rewarding you with vigorous growth and incredible flower displays. It handles poor, rocky soil without complaint, making it perfect for challenging spots. The evergreen foliage provides year-round structure while you wait for spring’s colorful explosion.
8. Ajuga
Ajuga’s leaves come in stunning shades—deep burgundy, bronze, or variegated patterns—that intensify during Wisconsin’s cold months. Sometimes called Bugleweed, it spreads quickly to cover bare ground with eye-catching foliage.
Blue flower spikes shoot up in spring, but the real star is that colorful winter foliage. It tolerates both sun and shade reasonably well, adapting to various garden conditions. The plant stays low and dense, choking out weeds while adding dramatic color to winter landscapes.
9. Euonymus
Wintercreeper Euonymus lives up to its name by staying vibrant green throughout Wisconsin’s coldest stretches. Variegated varieties add splashes of white or yellow to their leaves, brightening winter gardens considerably.
This adaptable plant handles both sun and shade while tolerating various soil types. It can climb if given support or spread horizontally as ground cover. Watch for scale insects occasionally, but overall, it remains a low-maintenance choice for year-round color and texture.
10. Moss Phlox
Moss Phlox creates tight cushions of fine-textured evergreen foliage that persist through Wisconsin winters. Its delicate appearance belies a surprisingly tough constitution that handles cold weather without flinching.
Come spring, it erupts into sheets of vibrant flowers that nearly hide the foliage completely. It prefers well-drained soil and sunny locations, making it ideal for rock gardens. The evergreen mat provides structure and interest even during the bleakest winter months across the state.