Groundcovers & Lawn Alternatives for Water-Conscious Arizona Landscapes
Looking for an alternative to a traditional lawn—or a way to bring more living color and texture to a rock-heavy landscape? Groundcovers can offer a beautiful, water-conscious option for Valley of the Sun gardens.
From low-growing plants that spread across the soil to flowering varieties that fill larger areas, there are plenty of choices well-suited to our desert climate. Many use considerably less water than a traditional lawn once established, while also helping soften hardscapes, reduce reflected heat and create habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.
Rethinking the Traditional Lawn
Replacing some—or all—of a traditional lawn doesn't have to mean replacing it with artificial turf or covering the area entirely with rock.
Low-growing and spreading plants can be used individually or in groups to create a greener, more inviting landscape while reducing the amount of turfgrass that needs to be watered and maintained. Some create broad sweeps of foliage, while others add flowers, texture and seasonal interest.
Unlike turfgrass, however, most groundcovers aren't designed for regular foot traffic or play. Consider how you use the space, along with sun exposure, irrigation and pets, when deciding what to plant.
Our Trusted Garden Advisors can help you explore options suited to your landscape.
Low-Water Groundcovers for Desert Landscapes
These spreading and mounding plants can replace portions of lawn or rock with living foliage, flowers and texture. Use one variety in larger sweeps or combine several to create a layered desert landscape.
Trailing Indigo Bush
Dalea greggii
A beautiful Southwest groundcover with silvery-green foliage and small purple flowers. Its spreading habit makes it especially useful for covering larger areas.
- Growth Habit: Low-growing and spreading
- Color: Silvery-green foliage with purple flowers
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low-water-use once established
- Good For: Xeriscapes, slopes, large planting areas and pollinator-friendly gardens
Prostrate Acacia
Acacia redolens
A durable, spreading evergreen groundcover that can cover a substantial area with attractive green foliage.
- Growth Habit: Wide-spreading, woody groundcover
- Color: Green to gray-green foliage with small yellow flowers
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low-water-use once established
- Good For: Large-scale groundcover, slopes and expansive areas where turf or rock might otherwise be used
Blackfoot Daisy
Melampodium leucanthum
This Southwest favorite combines a naturally mounding habit with cheerful white, daisy-like flowers.
- Growth Habit: Low and mounding
- Color: White flowers with yellow centers
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low-water-use once established
- Good For: Desert gardens, borders, pollinator gardens and naturalistic plantings
Lemon Dalea
Dalea capitata
A low-growing, spreading groundcover with fine-textured foliage and yellow flowers that add seasonal color to water-conscious landscapes.
- Growth Habit: Low and spreading
- Color: Green foliage with yellow flowers
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low-water-use once established
- Good For: Desert landscapes, slopes and flowering groundcover
Damianita
Chrysactinia mexicana
Mass Damianita together for a colorful, low-water groundcover filled with bright yellow blooms.
- Growth Habit: Approximately 18 inches tall and 3 feet wide
- Color: Masses of yellow flowers, primarily in spring
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low-water-use once established; supplemental summer water is beneficial during extreme heat
- Good For: Xeriscapes, borders and flowering groundcover
Rocky Point Ice Plant
A low-growing succulent groundcover with colorful flowers and excellent drought tolerance once established.
- Growth Habit: Approximately 6 inches tall and 2–3 feet wide
- Color: Orange flowers with fleshy green foliage
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Infrequent, deep watering once established
- Good For: Rock gardens, slopes, borders and erosion control
Katie Ruellia
Ruellia brittoniana 'Katie'
A compact flowering perennial with deep green foliage and purple flowers that attract pollinators.
- Growth Habit: Approximately 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide
- Color: Purple flowers
- Light: Full sun to partial sun
- Water: Drought-tolerant once established
- Good For: Colorful groundcover, pollinator gardens and poolside landscapes
Trailing Lantana
Lantana montevidensis
Trailing Lantana spreads outward rather than developing the upright habit of many other lantanas, making it an excellent flowering groundcover.
- Growth Habit: Low, spreading and trailing
- Color: Purple flowers
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water: Regular summer watering
- Good For: Large-scale groundcover, slopes, walls and pollinator gardens
Bush Morning Glory
Convolvulus cneorum
Silvery foliage and white flowers make Bush Morning Glory a striking choice for mass plantings and water-conscious landscapes.
- Growth Habit: Approximately 2 feet tall and 4 feet wide
- Color: Silver-gray foliage with white flowers
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low-water-use once established
- Good For: Xeriscapes, rock gardens and mass plantings
Ground Morning Glory
Convolvulus sabatius
A soft, spreading perennial covered with blue flowers in spring and summer.
- Growth Habit: Approximately 1½ feet tall and up to 5–6 feet wide
- Color: Blue flowers with gray-green foliage
- Light: Partial shade to full sun; avoid hot western exposures
- Water: Allow soil to moderately dry between waterings
- Good For: Rock gardens, slopes, walls and smaller-scale groundcover
Myoporum
Myoporum parvifolium
A fast-growing evergreen groundcover capable of spreading across a large area.
- Growth Habit: Approximately 18 inches tall and 8–15 feet wide
- Color: Bright green foliage with small cream-white flowers
- Light: Partial to full sun
- Water: Some drought tolerance once established; performs best with infrequent, regular watering
- Good For: Large areas, slopes and broad sweeps of green
Trailing Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus 'Prostratus'
Fragrant evergreen foliage, blue flowers and a naturally cascading habit make Trailing Rosemary both beautiful and useful.
- Growth Habit: Approximately 2 feet tall and 4 feet wide
- Color: Dark green fragrant foliage with blue flowers
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Deep, infrequent watering once established
- Good For: Slopes, retaining walls, erosion control and poolside landscapes
Blue Euphorbia
Euphorbia rigida
Also known as Gopher Plant, Blue Euphorbia offers distinctive gray-green foliage and colorful spring blooms.
- Growth Habit: Approximately 2 feet tall and 3–5 feet wide
- Color: Gray-green foliage with yellow flowers that age to orange
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water: Infrequent summer watering once established
- Good For: Rock gardens, xeriscapes and mass plantings
Looking for a Greener, Carpet-Like Groundcover?
Not every groundcover needs to have a distinctly desert look.
Dichondra
Dichondra repens
With soft, rounded green leaves, Dichondra creates a lush carpet only a few inches tall. In the Valley, it performs especially well in areas protected from the hottest afternoon sun.
- Growth Habit: Dense, low-growing carpet, approximately 2 inches tall
- Color: Deep green foliage
-
Light: Partial shade is best in the Phoenix area
- Water: Requires consistent moisture during hot, dry weather
- Foot Traffic: Can tolerate occasional light traffic
- Good For: Shadier areas where a soft, green groundcover is desired
Looking for other lawn-like options? Availability of low-growing turf alternatives such as Frogfruit and Kurapia® can be limited. Talk with one of our Trusted Garden Advisors about what's currently available and other options that may work for your landscape.
More Plants, Less Rock
Groundcovers aren't only for replacing grass. They can also help bring life to areas that might otherwise be covered entirely in decorative rock.
Adding thoughtfully spaced groundcovers, shrubs, perennials and trees can soften hardscapes, provide seasonal color, create habitat for pollinators and help reduce some of the heat absorbed and reflected by rock-covered landscapes.
Whether you're looking to replace a portion of your lawn, add a flowering groundcover or simply bring more living plants into your landscape, our Trusted Garden Advisors can help you explore options well-suited to your space.
Plant selection and availability vary by season and location.
At SummerWinds, We Guarantee Success!
Landscape images are illustrative and are intended to show how plants may look when established in a garden. Actual appearance varies with growing conditions, care, season and plant maturity.
