Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Runs 1.5–2 ft wide and stays ankle-low at 1.5–2 ft, holding soil where lawn won't, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
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- Groundcovers
Rhode Island · Zones 6–7
Native Groundcover Plants in Rhode Island
Low, spreading natives that knit together to cover bare ground, smother weeds, and replace thirsty lawn or mulch. Rhode Island sits in a landscape of Narragansett coastal lowland, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cool, humid, maritime character. The list below — led by Wild Geranium and Woodland Phlox — is filtered to species genuinely native to Rhode Island and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 6–7. A living native groundcover does everything mulch does and then keeps doing it for free — covering soil, blocking weeds, and feeding wildlife as it goes. Match the spreader to the site (sun or shade, wet or dry), plant on tight centers so they close ranks in a season or two, and weed faithfully that first year while they fill in.
The plants
12 native species for Rhode Island
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
A living mulch at 10–15 in tall, fanning 12–18 in wide to cover soil and block weeds; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
A living mulch at 6–12 in tall, fanning 1–2 ft wide to cover soil and block weeds — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 1.5–2 ft wide, no taller than 1.5–3 ft — it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Runs 5–10 ft wide and stays ankle-low at 2–6 ft, holding soil where lawn won't, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Runs 10–20 ft wide and stays ankle-low at 30–50 ft, holding soil where lawn won't; it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
Carpets bare soil 12–18 in wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, happy in loam soil, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
Weaves a 4–8 in-tall mat 1.5–2 ft across to blanket bare ground, for sand, rocky, and loam ground, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Carpets bare soil 3–6 ft wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, pink-white bells flowers, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 1.5–2.5 ft wide, no taller than 1–2 ft.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Evergreen
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Runs 1–2 ft wide and stays ankle-low at 6–12 in, holding soil where lawn won't.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
A low 2–3 ft-tall carpet that closes ranks 2–3 ft wide and shades out weeds.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Rhode Island
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.