10 Best Ground Covers to Plant Around Your Pool

Ground covers are not only a great way to decorate around your pool’s pavement border or paver stones, they also provide an alternative to stepping on hot pavement and frying your feet all the way back into the house after a relaxing swim. These ground covers are low-maintenance, will not mind getting splashed by the chlorinated water, and will thrive under the full sun!

Here are our top 10 ground covers for the job:

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1. Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia Nummularia)
2. Irish Moss (Sagina Subulata)
3. Mondo Grass (Ophiogon Japonicus)
4. Creeping Speedwell (Veronica ‘Waterperry Blue’)
5. Moss Verbena (Verbena Aristigera)
6. Breckland Thyme (Thymus Serpyllum)
7. Green & Gold (Chrysogonum Virginianum)
8. Periwinkle (Vinca Minor)
9. Japanese Sweet Flag (Acorus Gramineus)
10. Turtlehead (Chelone Obliqua var. Obliqua)

1. Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia Nummularia)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green, round leaves.
Flower: Golden, cup-shaped flowers.
Mature height: 2-4 inches.
Hardiness zone: Zones 3-8.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 2 to 6+ hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Constantly moist, fertile soil type of any kind.
Water: Every 2-3 days, ensuring the soil never dries out.
Special Care: Mow this groundcover annually to keep it tidy.

Any precautions about growing this plant? Creeping Jenny is considered invasive in some states. Be sure to check whether this is the case in your area before planting them.

2. Irish Moss (Sagina Subulata)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Emerald green moss-like leaves.
Flower: Small, scented white flowers.
Mature height: 1-2 inches.
Hardiness zone: Zones 4-8.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 2 to 6+ hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Constantly moist, fertile soil with good drainage like loam or sand.
Water: Every 3-4 days.
Special Care: With regards to the above, underwatering or overwatering may cause browning on the plant. Do the knuckle test and see whether you need to top up or hold off on watering for a bit.

Any precautions about growing this plant? Irish Moss can be fussy and may only be short-lived despite being a perennial. Regularly reseed the area to ensure it keeps growing, but it generally self-sow itself in suitable conditions.

3. Mondo Grass (Ophiogon Japonicus)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Straight, arching green leaves.
Flower: Tiny, star-shaped flowers can come in white, purple, or pink.
Mature height: 6-10 inches.
Hardiness zone: Zones 6-10.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: Preferably 2 to 6+ hours of full exposure to sunlight. But it can handle being in dappled shade.
Soil: Preferably well-draining, moist loamy soil, but it can also adapt to clay and sandy soil.
Water: Every 3-5 days.
Special Care: Mow this grass yearly in early spring to get rid of old growth.

Any precautions about growing this plant? None!

4. Creeping Speedwell (Veronica ‘Waterperry Blue’)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green or burgundy, oval leaves.
Flower: Saucer-shaped blue/purple flowers.
Mature Height: 4-6 inches.
Hardiness zone: Zones 4-8.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 2 to 6+ hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Constantly moist, fertile soil with good drainage like loam or sand.
Water: Every 3-5 days.
Special Care: None.

Any precautions about growing this plant? Creeping Speedwell is an aggressive grower and is considered weedy in some areas. It has the tendency to spread to lawns, so unless you don’t mind that, you may require herbicides to get rid of them.

5. Moss Verbena (Verbena Aristigera)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Dark green fern-like leaves.
Flower: Star-shaped clusters of blue or purple flowers.
Mature Height: 8 inches to 1 foot.
Hardiness zone: Zones 8-10.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining, loamy or sandy soil.
Water: Every 4-7 days.
Special Care: None.

Any precautions about growing this plant? Moss Verbena can be grown outside of its hardiness zones as annuals. You’ll need to reseed the plant annually to keep it growing around your pool.

6. Breckland Thyme (Thymus Serpyllum)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Small, blue-green oval leaves that turn brown in the Fall.
Flower: Bell-shaped pink or purple flowers.
Mature Height: 2-3 inches.
Hardiness zone: Zones 4-9.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining soil of any type but clay.
Water: Every 4-7 days.
Special Care: Trim the groundcover annually in the Fall to prevent it from overgrowing.

Any precautions about growing this plant? None!

7. Green & Gold (Chrysogonum Virginianum)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green, oblong leaves.
Flower: Tiny, star-shaped yellow flowers.
Mature Height: 1-2 inches.
Hardiness zone: Zones 5-9.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 2-6 hours of full exposure to full sun. But it also does well in deep shade with little to no sun.
Soil: Fertile, well-draining, constantly moist soil.
Water: Every 3-4 days.
Special Care: Water this plant more frequently if placed in a sunny area to prevent leaf scorching.

Any precautions about growing this plant? Green & Gold is prone to root rot and mildew if the soil is wet for too long. Mix the soil with compost to improve soil structure and drainage before planting.

8. Periwinkle (Vinca Minor)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Leathery, oval, green leaves.
Flower: Tubular flowers ranging from white, blue, and lavender in color.
Mature height: 3-6 inches.
Hardiness zone: Zones 4-9.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: Preferably 2 to 6+ hours of full exposure to sunlight. But it can also handle being in dappled shade.
Soil: Fertile, well-draining, constantly moist soil of any kind.
Water: Every 3-5 days.
Special Care: Trim the groundcover regularly to keep it well-maintained and stimulate new growth.

Any precautions about growing this plant? Periwinkle is considered invasive in several states. Ensure to look up if this is the case in your local area before planting.

9. Japanese Sweet Flag (Acorus Gramineus)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Straight, scented, lustrous green leaves.
Flower: Spiky, petal-less green or yellow flowers (i.e., a spadix)
Mature Height: 6 inches to 1 foot.
Hardiness zone: Zones 6-9.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 2 to 6+ hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Consistently moist soil; almost bog-like.
Water: Every day, ensuring the soil never dries out.
Special Care: None.

Any precautions about growing this plant? None!

10. Turtlehead (Chelone Obliqua var. Obliqua)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green, lance-shaped leaves with serrated edges.
Flower: Tubular lavender or pink flowers.
Mature Height: 2-3 feet.
Hardiness zone: Zones 5-9.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: Preferably 2 to 6+ hours of full exposure to sunlight. But it can also handle being in dappled shade.
Soil: Fertile, constantly moist soil.
Water: Every 2-3 days.
Special Care: Trim this groundcover twice a year to control the growth and keep it low to the ground.

Any precautions about growing this plant? None. However, ensure to purchase the non-hybrid species of this plant. Otherwise, it may regrow as something else entirely.

References:

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lysimachia-nummularia/

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/moneywort-6-24-05.aspx

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sagina-subulata/

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/irish-and-scotch-moss-sagina-subulata-and-arenaria-verna/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ophiopogon-japonicus/

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/mondo-grass/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/veronica-waterperry-blue/

https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/diseases/creeping-speedwell

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/verbena-aristigera/

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/verbena/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chrysogonum-virginianum/