The Low-Maintenance Ground Cover Plant That Will Thrive In Your Rock Garden

Ground covers are great for adding color and beauty to your garden, while also suppressing weeds. Unfortunately, finding good ground covers that can thrive in the dry and generally low fertilizer soils common in rock gardens can be a challenge. This is especially challenging if you're in search of a yellow flowering ground cover. However, one of the best ground cover options for those wanting golden blooms and drought tolerance is the beautiful yellow alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis).

Yellow alyssums, despite their name, are not very closely related to annual sweet alyssums (Lobularia maritima), though they do have similarly shaped flowers. Yellow alyssum, also known as basket-of-gold, is an herbaceous perennial that returns year after year. While native to Europe, they aren't considered invasive in the United States, making them a perfect addition to gardens in USDA zones 3a through 7b. Some people are even able to grow them in areas as warm as USDA zone 10, but yellow alyssums do tend to struggle in high humidity locations. Thanks to their ability to thrive in dry rocky soil, yellow alyssums are an ideal way to give your rock garden a ground cover that's not just low-maintenance but also boasts buttery yellow flowers.

You can easily grow your yellow alyssums from seed or purchase them as young plants from reputable online shops or local nurseries. Just be aware that if you grow them from seed, they can take an entire season or two to begin flowering. These flowers need full sun locations and dry soil to thrive — as opposed to any wet or shady spots you might have in your garden. With that said, as long as your soil drains well you won't have to do much in preparation for yellow alyssums since they actually prefer soil with low fertility, and grow well in sandy and rocky soil.

As yellow alyssums don't grow taller than a foot, they're perfect for planting towards the front of your garden space, where they can pair perfectly with other rock garden perennials like sedum and thyme. Yellow alyssums are also great additions to water wise pollinator gardens too, as they're a hit with bees. They're also deer resistant, so you shouldn't have to worry about your beautiful yellow flowers being nibbled away.