Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Spreads low — 1.5–2 ft tall, 1.5–2 ft wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Virginia · Zones 6–8
Native Groundcover Plants in Virginia
Low, spreading natives that knit together to cover bare ground, smother weeds, and replace thirsty lawn or mulch. Virginia sits in a landscape of Blue Ridge, Piedmont & Tidewater, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid, four-season character. The list below — led by Wild Geranium and Foamflower — is filtered to species genuinely native to Virginia and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 6–8. 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
11 native species for Virginia
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Weaves a 6–12 in-tall mat 1–2 ft across to blanket bare ground, foamy white flowers; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Runs 12–18 in wide and stays ankle-low at 10–15 in, holding soil where lawn won't; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Knits across the ground 1.5–2 ft wide and just 1.5–3 ft tall, no mowing needed; it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
Knits across the ground 1.5–2 ft wide and just 4–8 in tall, no mowing needed; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
A living mulch at 4–8 in tall, fanning 12–18 in wide to cover soil and block weeds; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Weaves a 2–6 ft-tall mat 5–10 ft across to blanket bare ground, for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
A mat-forming native, 30–50 ft tall and 10–20 ft wide, that fills in and crowds out weeds, flowering as it flowers in Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Spreads low — 1–2 ft tall, 1.5–2.5 ft wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Evergreen
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
A low 6–12 in-tall carpet that closes ranks 1–2 ft wide and shades out weeds.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Weaves a 2–3 ft-tall mat 2–3 ft across to blanket bare ground, for sand, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Virginia
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.