Plants That Grow Along the Ground: Examples by Habitat

Plants that grow along the ground are any low-spreading species that hug the soil surface rather than growing upright, and they fall into a few distinct groups: true groundcovers (dense, low perennials usually under 3 feet), creeping or trailing vines that root as they spread, mosses and lichens that carpet bare rock or soil, and low grasses or sedges that fill open ground. Specific examples include creeping thyme, creeping phlox, ground ivy, sea thrift, low juniper cultivars, sea lyme-grass, and a wide range of mosses and lichens. Which one belongs in your space depends entirely on whether the spot is sunny or shaded, wet or bone-dry, sandy, loamy, or rocky. To narrow it down, you can start by matching the site conditions to which plant grow along the ground naturally in that area.

What counts as a plant that grows along the ground

University of Georgia Extension draws a practical line here: a groundcover is a spreading, low-growing plant, and for practical purposes that means it stays under about 3 feet tall and spreads laterally rather than climbing. If it spreads primarily by seed and does not actively creep or mat, it usually does not make the groundcover category either. Colorado State University Extension adds more precision by describing the four main ways these plants actually move across the ground: rhizomes (underground stems pushing outward), stolons (above-ground runners that root where they touch soil), offsets (small plantlets that detach from the parent), and tip layering (where a trailing stem roots at its tip when it contacts soil). Knowing how your plant spreads matters because it tells you how quickly it will cover bare soil and how hard it will be to contain or remove later.

For this site's purposes, the category also includes mosses, lichens, and low sedges that carpet natural habitats. These are not landscaping plants in the traditional sense, but they are absolutely among the most ecologically important ground-hugging plants on the planet, covering forest floors, dune surfaces, and exposed rock in conditions where almost nothing else survives.

Quick examples by habitat

Forest floor

Forest floors favor shade-tolerant creepers and mosses. Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) works on the shaded and semi-shaded edges, staying around 6 inches tall and spreading up to 36 inches at maturity. It does particularly well on poor, bare soils with little competition, which is exactly the description of a disturbed forest margin. Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is another forest-edge colonizer: it spreads by stolons that run along the soil surface and root aggressively at the nodes, forming loose mats in consistently moist, shaded spots. Mosses carpet the deeper forest floor where light is minimal and humidity stays high. They have no roots and absorb water and nutrients directly from the air and the substrate beneath them.

Meadow edge

Meadow margins get more sun and typically have average to dry soil moisture. Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is an ideal fit here: it stays very low, tolerates foot traffic reasonably well, and thrives in lean, well-drained soil in full sun. Purple heart (Setcreasea purpurea) is a trailing plant reaching 1 to 1.5 feet that handles both sun and part shade at the meadow edge. Low juniper cultivars are another solid option at meadow boundaries, with selected cultivars ranging from just 6 inches to about 2 feet tall and spreading 6 to 8 feet wide across open ground.

Streamside

Streamsides combine high moisture, periodic flooding, and variable light. Ground ivy is again relevant here given its preference for consistently moist conditions, but it can become invasive in these fertile, wet environments. Native sedges and low grasses are better ecological choices for streambanks because their dense root systems stabilize soil without the aggressive spreading that makes ground ivy a problem in managed landscapes.

Dunes and sandy ground

Coastal dunes are one of the harshest environments for any plant: salt spray, low nutrients, rapidly draining sand, and constant wind. Sea thrift (Armeria maritima) handles this by staying compact at 6 to 12 inches tall with a similar spread, preferring full sun and very well-drained, lean sandy or rocky soil. Sea lyme-grass (Leymus mollis) takes a different approach: it grows taller (50 to 150 cm) but spreads from robust rhizomes that run under the sand, physically anchoring and stabilizing dunes as they expand. Plants that grow underground are called because rhizomes are underground stems that spread below the surface. Both species are adapted to dry-to-normal moisture and are genuinely found in coastal and dune habitats rather than just planted there.

Examples sorted by light and moisture

Low groundcover vs creeping vine vs moss or lichen: how to tell them apart

These three groups look similar from a distance but behave very differently, and mixing them up leads to wrong planting decisions. A low groundcover like creeping thyme or creeping phlox has a woody or semi-woody base, distinct leaves, and spreads by rhizomes, stolons, or tip-layering. It stays low but is a true vascular plant with roots pulling water and nutrients from the soil. It can be dug up, divided, and replanted.

A creeping vine or trailer like ground ivy or purple heart also has vascular tissue and roots, but its stems are specifically designed to run horizontally across the soil surface and root at nodes wherever they touch ground. Underground stems like rhizomes are one reason some ground-hugging plants spread so effectively under the soil. This is what makes plants like ground ivy so difficult to remove once established: every rooted node is essentially a new plant. The distinction between a low groundcover and a creeping vine is mostly about stem behavior: groundcovers tend to form a clump that slowly widens, while creeping vines actively run and root.

Mosses and lichens are a completely different story. Mosses are non-vascular plants that reproduce by spores and absorb everything they need directly through their leaf surfaces, with no true roots. Lichens are not even a single organism: they are a partnership between a fungus and algae or cyanobacteria. The USDA Forest Service notes that lichens have no waxy cuticle, no stomata, and no roots at all, so they rely entirely on air moisture, air nutrients, and whatever substrate they grow on. Foggy coastal areas support particularly rich lichen communities because of the water available in the air itself. You cannot transplant a lichen the way you transplant a perennial. If you want a moss or lichen covering a surface, you are mostly working with habitat conditions rather than planting decisions.

How to choose the right ground plant for your spot

Start with the actual conditions of the site rather than what you like the look of. Walk the area at different times of day and answer these questions honestly before you pick a species. You can also grow many of these ground-hugging plants from seed or small starts, depending on the species what plants grow in the ground.

1. Light: Is it full sun (6+ hours direct), part shade (3–6 hours), or full shade? Most of the best groundcovers are strongly sun or shade adapted, not both.
2. Soil moisture: Does water pool there after rain, drain within a few hours, or dry out quickly? Moist spots suit ground ivy or native sedges. Fast-draining sandy soil suits sea thrift or creeping thyme.
3. Soil type: Is the soil sandy, loamy, clay-heavy, or rocky? Lean and sandy soils are actually an advantage for many ground-hugging plants that hate wet feet.
4. Foot traffic: Will people or animals walk through this area regularly? Creeping thyme handles light foot traffic. Most other groundcovers do not.
5. Maintenance expectations: Are you willing to edge and contain a spreading plant, or do you need something self-limiting? Creeping vine types like ground ivy can overtake neighboring plants if not managed.
6. Size and spread timeline: A low juniper cultivar will eventually cover 6 to 8 feet but takes years to get there. Creeping thyme fills in much faster in the right conditions.

Colorado State University Extension makes a point worth repeating: if parts of your intended groundcover area get foot traffic, build a path or stepping stones through it before you plant. Trying to add access later damages the established plants. That kind of upfront planning changes the whole project.

If you are dealing with an area where ground ivy has already taken over and you want to replace it with something better suited, West Virginia University Extension recommends a combined approach: raise mowing height to about 3 inches, open the tree canopy to increase light if that is an option, and bring soil pH to around 6.5 to make conditions better for competing turf or preferred groundcovers. The fix is ecological, not just chemical.

Soil, planting, and getting established

Drainage first

Most low ground-hugging plants fail not because of the wrong species choice but because of poor drainage. Even moisture-tolerant groundcovers like creeping phlox want water to move through the soil rather than sit. If the site stays soggy for days after rain, you either need to address drainage or shift to species that genuinely prefer wet ground. For sandy dune or rocky sites, drainage is usually not the problem: the challenge is retaining enough moisture and nutrients for anything to establish at all.

Spacing and planting density

Illinois Extension specifies spacing creeping thyme at 8 to 12 inches apart, which gives you a sense of the scale for small-leafed, low creepers. Larger spreading species like juniper cultivars need much more room: 3 to 4 feet between plants is typical because they will eventually reach 6 to 8 feet wide. Planting too close wastes money and causes crowding; planting too far apart leaves bare soil exposed for too long, inviting weeds. A middle ground is to plant at the recommended spacing and mulch the gaps with 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch while waiting for coverage.

Establishment period

The first growing season is the most vulnerable window for any ground plant. Watering consistently during this period matters more than any other care step, especially for drought-tolerant species like sea thrift and creeping thyme: they are drought-tolerant once established, but they need regular moisture while their root systems develop. After year one, most low groundcovers become largely self-sufficient in appropriate conditions. For spreading types like ground ivy, the maintenance question flips: the first year you are encouraging establishment, and after that you are managing containment.

Ongoing maintenance

Most true groundcovers need very little once established: an occasional trim to keep edges tidy, removal of dead material in early spring, and weeding until the canopy closes enough to suppress weed seedlings on its own. Creeping vines need edge management to prevent them from invading adjacent planting beds or turf. For natural habitat plantings (dune stabilizers, moss gardens, forest edge revegetation), the goal is usually minimal intervention: choose the species that fits the conditions and let it do what it would do naturally. The less you fight the site conditions, the better any of these ground plants will perform.