People often ask, "What is a good groundcover?" I always answer' "The term 'groundcover' usually equates to invasive plant. Most of the groundcover plants we have used in the past have turned out to be invasive. English Ivy, periwinkle, vinca minor and major, chameleon plant and many more non-native plants have escaped cultivation and are spreading through ecosystems choking our native plants and altering forests.
Non-Invasive (Mostly Native) Plants for Covering Ground
(Updated: March 25, 2026, 9:32 a.m.)
English Ivy is an invasive groundcover that destroys woodlands eventually.
However, there are many native and a few non-native plants that do a good job of covering ground when used in mass plantings that are not harmful to the environment. The following is a short list of non-invasive mostly native plants for covering ground in mountain landscapes.
Woody Shrubs That Cover Ground
* = native to US
- American wintergreen* Gaultheria procumbens
- Carolina jasmine vine* Gelsemium sempervirens
- Creeping juniper * Juniperus horizontalis
- Creeping blueberry* Vaccinium crassifoium
- Creeping cranberry* Vaccinium macrocarpon
- Virginia sweetspire* Itea virginica
- Virginia creeper vine* Parthenocissus quinquefolia
- Creeping rosemary Salvia rosmarinus ‘Prostratus’
- Shore juniper Juniperus conferta
- Blue Rug juniper Juniperus conferta 'Blue Rug'
- Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis
Virginia sweetspire or 'Itea virginicus' is a suckering shrub that makes a great groundcover.
Herbaceous Evergreen Native Plants That Cover Ground
- Pussy’s toes * Antennaria plantaginifolia
- Canadian wild ginger* Asarum canadense (for shade)
- Heart-leaf ginger Asarum arifolium (for shade)
- Little brown jugs Asarum virginicum (for shade)
- Green-and-gold* Chrysogonum virginianum
- Mouse-eared coreopsis* Coreopsis auriculata
- Wild strawberry* Fragaria virginiana
- Dwarf crested iris* Iris cristata
- Partridge Berry* Mitchella repens (for shade)
- Fernleaf Phacelia* Phacelia bipinnatifida (for shade)
- Wild blue phlox* Phlox divaricata
- Creeping phlox* Phlox stolonifera
- Trailing Phlox* Phlox nivalis
- Rock Thrift Phlox* Phlox subulata
- Christmas fern* Polystichum acrostichoides (for shade)
- Oconee bells* Shortia galacifolia
- Blue-eyed grass* Sisyrinchium mucronatum
- Yellow-root* Xanthorhiza simplicissima (for shade)
- Green and Gold* Chrysogonum virginianum
- Allegheny Spurge* Pachysandra procumbens (for shade)
- Foamflower* Tiarella cordifolia (for shade)
- St. Johns Wort* Hypericum densiflorum
Canadian Wild Ginger
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