These 7 perennial plants offer an alternative to bare ground or weeds. The suggested plants and simple growing tips will help you get started with a drought-tolerant ground cover that suits your surroundings. Yellow alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis) is a hardy perennial. Like ‘Angelina’ sedum, it sports attractive leaves: in this case, leaves of a blue-gray or gray-green color. But unlike ‘Angelina,’ A. saxatilis is grown more for the display created by its flowers. It looks especially nice tumbling over stone walls. Not only is this a drought-tolerant ground cover, but also it positively does not like for its roots to be sitting in moisture. For that reason, ice plant can be challenging for someone experimenting with it for the first time. So unlike the other plants listed here, one would not classify this plant as easy to grow. Still, its flowers are gorgeous, so why not give it a try? Its unusual foliage (the look of which gives it its common plant name) is moderately attractive, as well. The fact that some drought-tolerant ground covers are at least mildly invasive should not surprise us very much. After all, plants such as V. minor and Japanese pachysandra need to be tough to survive in dry soils. And they do not turn that toughness on and off to please us. A tough plant will, in many cases, out-compete its competition for available resources, including water. Another example that is tempting to plant but definitely invasive is lily-of-the-valley, famous for its great-smelling blooms that resemble little bells. You will have to make up your own mind as to whether you wish to grow plants such as V. minor. Using this background about the plant, you can make an informed decision. Nonetheless, some folks might consider growing this drought-tolerant ground cover under certain conditions. Its proponents point to its spiky flowers and (in the case of some cultivars) attractive leaves as selling points, although anyone who has had to battle this aggressive plant for years would be unlikely to be among those “sold” on bugleweed.
