The 21 Best Ground Covers To Use To Fill In Patchy Areas Where Grass Won't Grow

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

There's all kinds of advice online regarding how to fix a patchy lawn, and many of the solutions offered up, no matter how well-meaning, are more complicated than they need to be. An often overlooked method of fixing a patchy lawn without using expensive tools is to fill the bald spot with a ground cover better suited to the growing conditions your chosen grass species struggles to thrive in or resistant to the particular pests or diseases plaguing the area.

If you want to cover the patch fast, consider vigorous spreaders like deceptively delicate brass buttons, fragrant creeping thyme, or native cutie lyreleaf sage. North American sedges will give you a grass-like look, as will dwarf mondo grass. Make a feature of the patch by planting flowering beauties like blue star creeper, common blue violet, or a low-growing dianthus. Channel Japanese zen gardens with a spot of moss, or replenish your soil health with leguminous clover or perennial peanut.

The creeper you choose needs to be evergreen, perennial, grow vigorously enough to fill the patch without taking over your entire lawn, and handle at least a little foot traffic, depending on where the troublemaking spot is in your outdoor space. You get green-fingered bonus points if a plant is a wildlife magnet or native species. Determine the reason for the patch before you go plant shopping, too. Is it so boggy and shady that the grass seed rots before it can germinate? Is it a spot so dry, sunny, and sandy only the most drought hardy plant will survive? Once you learn the conditions, you can cater your choice appropriately.

Brass buttons (Leptinella squalida) is a New Zealand native with teeny, fern-like leaves and yellow blooms. It grows just 2 inches tall, making it one of the lowest-profile plants on this list. Use it to cover cool, damp, full sun lawn patches in Hardiness Zones 4 to 10 — though it's only evergreen at the top of this range. You can walk on and mow brass buttons (in fact, mowing is how you deadhead the plant after it flowers). The downside to growing brass buttons as a low-maintenance ground cover? It can spread aggressively.

Tolerating a little foot traffic is vital for lawn patch menders, and dwarf carpet of stars (Ruschia lineolata 'Nana') fits the bill. While you can't use this low-lying succulent for a sports field, this dainty creeper can handle being walked on. What's more, it's candy-striped blooms attract pollinators rather than pests and the plant tolerates cold (down to 25 degrees Fahrenheit) and heat. Get a tray of 12 Green Bare Root Dwarf Carpet of Stars (Ruschia Lineolata 'Nana') plants for about $26. Edge dwarf carpet of stars to stop it spreading.

Gardeners have been replacing their grass with this flowering ground cover since the early 2000s. Today, perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata) is one of the go-to species among lawn alternatives. Not only does this enduringly hardy leguminous ground need little fertilizer and is resistant to most pests, it fixes nitrogen, boosting soil health of wherever it's planted. The downsides? Perennial peanut does best in low foot traffic areas, can go dormant in the winter, and will only thrive in the warmth of Zones 8b to 11.

If you're looking for a ground cover species that can withstand drought and heat in Zones 9 to 11, silver carpet is the durable grass alternative you can cover your lawn with. Called Dymondia margaretae by botanists, this South African evergreen perennial adds an attractive variegated green-grey hue to your backyard year-round with yellow daisy-like flowers in the spring and summer. It's walk-on-able, too! Get enough plants to fill most of the patchy area right away since it grows slowly.

Fix a patchy lawn and add fragrance by filling a poor-growing area with rambling herbs. Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) is foot traffic-friendly, and every step produces a refreshing scent. Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum 'Elfin'), also sometimes called wild thyme, is a widely promoted lawn replacement herb. Pollinators love the blooms and you can walk (lightly) on it. To successfully grow a creeping thyme plant in a patch, try the 2 inch-tall-or-less cultivars 'Bressingham' and 'Albus'. Other options include creeping oregano (Origanum vulgare 'Humile') and garden chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile).

Frogfruit is a flowering ground cover that's beneficial to pollinators and your lawn. This North American native is evergreen in warmer climes and a prolific bloomer that withstands light foot traffic. Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora), also sometimes called common lippia, tolerates salty winds, so coastal gardeners can use it to fill in areas of their lawn. While it grows vigorously in the spring (mow it down to 1 inch to keep it tidy), it may go dormant in cold winters, and will thrive in Zones 6 through 11.

Love the look of creeping Jenny in a lawn, but not the plant's invasiveness? Creeping mazus (Mazus miquelii, formerly Mazus reptans) is the ground cover you should grow instead of creeping Jenny as a grass alternative. It's especially useful for areas of your lawn going patchy due to oversaturation; creeping mazus loves a boggy site in Zones 5 though 8. It also doesn't mind a bit of foot traffic. Expect small, white-purple, pollinator-attracting blooms in spring and summer and pretty fall color in colder climes.

If you're looking to replace a patch of non-sprouting grass in your lawn, it makes sense to use a grass-like plant. That's where native sedges (Carex spp.) come into the picture. Meadow or sand dune sedge (Carex pansa) is a mowable ground cover your family can walk and even play on. It prefers gritty soil and its flowers attract native butterflies and moths. Other popular options include Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica), seersucker sedge (Carex plantaginea), and spreading sedge (Carex laxiculmis) — a 1 gallon pot of Classy Groundcovers Pennsylvania Sedge costs about $41.

Not a fan of sedges? Another deceptively grass-like plant is dwarf mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus. What is dwarf mondo grass and why should you consider it for your lawn? The plant is native to parts of East and Southeast Asia and sends up tiny, lily-like flowers in the summer. It doesn't enjoy being stepped on, so use it to cover lawn patches in out of the way areas that see part sun to shade in Zones 7 to 11. Other dwarf varieties to consider include 'Kioto', 'Nippon', and 'Gyoko ru'.

Why should you consider using blue violet as a lawn alternative? For one, common blue violet (Viola sororia) is native to eastern and central North America, so it will naturally thrive in Zones 3 through 7 and support lots of local wildlife. Secondly, it's probably already inhabiting your lawn; all you need to do to get it to fill a patchy area is resist pulling it out. Finally, it's relatively deer- and pest-resistant and will survive both being mowed and stepped on.

Flower-loving gardeners should fix their patchy lawn with blue star creeper (Isotoma fluviatilis). Give this hardy ground cover full sun and it will produce abundant pastel blue star-like blooms throughout the spring and summer. While this dainty plant is tolerant of foot traffic, it's not the perfect lawn patch filler (though, arguably, no one ground cover species is). The downside of choosing blue star creeper as a grass alternative for your yard is that it's an aggressive grower, especially in the ideal conditions of Zones 6 though 8.

Moss is widely considered the bane of a homeowner trying to create a perfect lawn. However, in certain circumstances, like when you're dealing with conditions traditional turf grass doesn't like to grow in, you can create a lush green lawn that's easy to care for with this great grass alternative. Moss species like American tree moss (Climacium americanum), Dicranum scoparium, and glossy moss (Entodon seductrix), and worm or spoon moss (Bryoandersonia illecebra), among many others, will slowly colonize a damp, shady patch on which grass and other ground covers refuse to flourish.

Kurapia (Lippia nodiflora or Phyla nodiflora) does well in drought-like conditions and saline soils, so it's a perfect choice for filling those dry, infertile patches in your lawn where sod just won't grow, no matter what you try. It's hardy down to Zone 7b, so better suited to warm climate gardens, and the plant's white flowers attract bees. Keep it mowed low to remove the flowers if you're planting it in an area where children play to avoid stings. Unlike its North American native frogfruit cousins, kurapia hails from Japan.

Waterperry blue (Veronica 'Waterperry Blue'), also known as creeping speedwell, is a beautiful purple ground cover that's great as a grass alternative for a colorful lawn. The plant produces rotund lavender to ocean blue blooms on maximum 5 inch tall stems in spring. It can handle some foot traffic and each plant spreads 15 inches around when mature, meaning it will easily cover any small bare patch in your lawn. The pollinator-friendly Zones 4a to 8b plant thrives in moist but well-draining soil in full sun or partial shade.

Have a dusty, well-draining spot in your garden turfgrass gets too thirsty to survive in? Replant the patch with creeping wire vine (Muehlenbeckia axillaris). This ground-hugging vine is step-on-able and boasts dainty deep green and glossy leaves on wire-like stems — hence the name. Note, however, that this fast-growing Australasian native can quickly take over a garden, smothering all plants in its wake, if left to its own devices. So, is creeping wire vine a good grass alternative? Generally, yes, so long as you keep it carefully contained within a border.

Lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata) is in the mint family and, like its enthusiastic culinary cousins, spreads readily — though since it's a native plant, not invasively so. Expect it to fill a bare patch of lawn quickly in the right growing conditions: poor to average, moist, well-draining soil and full sun. What's more, the plant tolerates mowing and foot traffic. In March through June, the plants send spikes topped with lavender-hued flowers beloved by pollinators a foot into the air. Choose this sprawling lawn alternative if you garden in Zones 5 to 8.

Just as you should plant a clover lawn, you should also use clover to complete shady, dry bare spots. For one, the ground-hugging legume fixes nitrogen, meaning you won't have to spend money on fertilizer — at least for the patch of soil its growing in. Commonly grown Dutch white clover (Trifolium repens) is pollinator friendly, tolerates foot traffic, and is hardy way down to Zone 3. It's affordable, too. Get a 1 pound bag of Outsidepride Nitrocoated and Inoculated Perennial White Dutch Clover Seeds for about $14.

Are you seeking a ground cover suitable for a hot, sunny, and rocky patch of lawn in Zones 3 through 8? Consider pussytoes (Antennaria dioica), also sometimes called catsfoot. This carpet-like plant gets its name for its rosette-forming furry leaves, but it also sends up pale pink flowers on tall stalks in the summer that resemble cat paw beans. Mow it to deadhead the spent blooms. Note, however, that it needs to be planted in a spot of lawn away from everyday walking; it won't do well under heavy foot traffic.

Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a low-maintenance, weed-resistant lawn alternative you'll want to consider for patch repair. It is hardy in Zones 4 through 9 and will go dormant in the winter. The low-growing ground cover has whorl-like leaves and tiny fragrant white blooms. It tolerates somewhere between a little and no foot traffic, so make sure you plant it with stepping stones or near pathways. A solid, 1 inch tall barricade keeps this enthusiastic spreader from growing uncontrollably. You can mow it, but only on the highest blade setting.

Pair creeping red sedum (Sedum spurium) with golden carpet sedum for a multicolored lawn display. Angelina stonecrop (Sedum rupestre) is a heat-tolerant ground cover that can fill in patchy grass spots in your lawn, while the Chelsea Flower Show 2019 Plant of the Year, Sedum takesimense 'Atlantis', grows so low that you can leave your lawn mower in the shed year round. Woodland stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) is a native sedum that covers a bare spot completely while also offering up a brilliant display of tiny white flowers.

Dianthus may seem an unusual choice, but the low-growing cultivars are widely promoted as lawn fillers. For one, they have extravagant blooms that will add a pop of color to even the dullest backyard in Zones 4 through 9. Mountain Frost 'White Twinkle', 'Fire Witch', and the numerous Cheddar Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) variations all tolerate light foot traffic, as can 'Tiny Rubies' and Confetti 'Carmine Rose' and 'White'. Broadly speaking, dianthus spreads about a foot once mature, so you may need to purchase a few plants to fill your bare patch of lawn.