Plants that can tolerate foot traffic deserve a spot in every garden. They are hardworking, soften your hard scape, and add texture, scent and beauty to an otherwise utilitarian space…a walkway. “Stepables” are another name for plants for paths and walkways, and they are workhorses for your garden. Not only are they a great low maintenance alternative to grass, they are “stepable”! Which of course means they are plants you can walk on. These plants can turn a boring walk to the compost bin into an idyllic stroll. And to top it all off, these plants for walkways are also easy to grow! So let’s get inspired first, then learn about some of our favorite plants for paths and walkways!
Stepables To Inspire You
Plants for paths are a perfect foil for weeds when they grow thick and tight, like this sedum. Once these stepable plants grow in, all it takes is a little haircut with some garden scissors to keep the stepping stones uncovered. Love this path from ‘Behnke Nursery‘. Makes you want to take off your shoes, right?
This is a form of the popular irish moss (which isn’t really a moss, BTW) called scotch moss. One of our favorite ground covers because of it’s bright green color. Its almost like a river of green, isn’t it? Photo by ‘Merrifield Garden Center‘.
Love the patches of scotch moss in between the stepping stones in this photo.
This garden path proves that plants for walkways can have a modern vibe too. Irish Moss softens the stepping stones, but succulents and drought resistant ground covers add interest and texture to make the pathway more interesting. From ‘Earp Construction‘.
How to Grow Plants for Walkways
Just because a plant can take light foot traffic doesn’t mean you should play football on it. These plants still need water and basic care, but are low maintenance plants. Make sure you pay attention to their sun/shade and water needs. Many of them spread and multiply as well. Planted around garden paths, as an alternative to lawn for a light traffic yard or as erosion control, these are our favorite “stepables”.
Our Favorite Plants for Paths and Walkways
Creeping Thyme
Creeping Thyme is a short, drought resistant plant that flowers in early-mid summer. It’s flowers are a pretty pinkish purple, and the leaves are fragrant when crushed. Although you can cook with this herb, it is not the same culinary thyme that we generally use in the kitchen. Ornamental herbs tend to lack the flavor or intensity of culinary herb varieties. But really, when it looks this great and you can step on it, do we care? Hardy down to Zone 4, it grows 3-6 inches tall and to 18 inches wide. Photo by ‘WW Greenhouses‘.
Golden Creeping Jenny
Golden Creeping Jenny is hardy down to Zone 3 and is a fast growing ground cover plant perfect for paths. It has a small yellow flower in spring- summer, and is evergreen in milder climates. Growing 2-4 inches tall and 12-18 inches wide, this pathway plant likes to stay moist. Photo by ‘Stepables‘.
Corsican Mint
Corsican mint prefers partial shade and has tiny little leaves that make it look a little like moss from a distance. These plants for paths also like to be moist, and will even take a low spot in your garden that doesn’t drain well. Do not let them dry out! This mint is native to the Mediterranean and has small lilac flowers in summer. Hardy to Zone 6. Photo by ‘Country Living‘.
Dwarf Bugleweed
Dwarf Bugleweed is a plant for walkways that is just about perfect, because even when it is in flower, it rarely attracts bees. It’s short stature means it does not have to be mowed, and it is very tolerant to foot traffic. It is also drought resistant when planted in part sun. Hardy to Zone 3! Photo by ‘Gardeners Direct‘.
Creeping Speedwell
Creeping Speedwell can be grown in full sun to part shade, and is deer and rabbit resistant. It flowers off and on all summer with tiny lilac blossoms. Hardy to Zone 6, this pathway plant prefers medium water, and grows just 1-3 inches tall by 6-12 inches wide. Photo by ‘Wiseacre Gardens‘.
Scotch or Irish Moss (Sagina Subulata)
Scotch and Irish Moss are not really moss at all (if you want to know more about that, try our post on Marvelous Moss Gardens!) Rather, they are a ground cover plant that has delicate white flowers in spring, and grows less than one inch tall. Scotch Moss is simply the golden variety of Sagina subulata. This plant prefers moist, but not wet soil and protection from afternoon sun. Hardy to Zone 4, space them 12 inches apart to get full coverage their first season. Isn’t this just gorgeous and lush?!
This photo from ‘Gardenerd‘ shows using Irish Moss in very tiny spaces where you might just want a little green. This also keeps weeds from growing in the cracks. This designer planted this Irish Moss from seed.
Creeping Sedum
Finally we have one of best workhorse plants ever. There are many varieties of creeping sedums, but our favorite is “Angelina” as seen here. Tiny golden succulent leaves cover this very tough and resilient groundcover plant. Drought resistant, deer resistant and evergreen in milder climates, this is one ground cover plant we use again and again. Spikes of yellow flowers grow in early summer, but we prefer to mow them down and enjoy the foliage alone. Grows 3-6 inches tall and 24-36 inches wide in a fast growing mat. This plant tolerates almost any conditions except soggy soil. Will even “replant” itself from broken branches! Hardy to Zone 3. Photo by ‘Bethlehem Gardening‘.
We hope you loved these Stepable Plants for Paths and Walkways! We think you will also love our posts on 7 Classic Garden Walkway Projects and Great Groundcovers!
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What steppables would be good for a herbal lawn, pollinator friendly in Boston, MA zone 6a?
Hi! I live in Tacoma, WA and I have blue star creepers in a bed and I want to plant some around a stone path I made. What’s the best method to planting? Do you just buy plants and plant them in between all the stones? How do you prevent them from growing over the stones? Thanks for your help! Informative post!
Steve is from Seattle, so we know those will look amazing with your stone path! Blue star creeper isn’t especially aggressive, but in the PacNW, one never knows, lol. If they do start overgrowing the stones, you can either mow them in the spring with the lawn mower set high,(test in a small spot first to make sure it isn’t set too low and mows off the entire plant! Don’t remove more than 1/3 of the plant…) or just trim them off the stones with scissors. To plant between stones, you just buy the smallest size plants you can find and poke or dig a hole, pop them in and then press soil firmly around the plant. Remember, they will fill in! Good luck!
Live in South Louisiana and have two large live oak in the back yard and almost no grass. We are wanting a ground cover to control weeds since grass won’t grow. All the plants suggested say do well down to zone 3 or 6. Does that mean number down or location down since higher numbers are down South.
Those numbers refer to cold hardiness, and in South La. you won’t be having any trouble with that! Lol… All these plants should grow well in your hardiness zone!
Looks fantastic! How do you keep the plants from covering the stones?
Scissors! Seriously, a quick hair cut and they are good!
I live in Illinois, southern part and wondering what to plant for paths between roses and strawberry beds about 3ft. section wide. Also for a path around two sides of the house that will have stepping stones, about 5ft.wide section. Don’t want it to be too tall, but covers good. I have poor soil that use to be wooded around a small lake. I would say clay/very hard. The trees are mostly a shagbark hickory or an acorn oak.
We planted many different kinds of ground cover. We were wondering if its easy to seperate some that are spreading better than others to fill in bare spots to cover the area faster? Or does it matter the kind of groundcover?
It does matter, but most ground covers can be dug up and divided, and then replanted!
We are putting in a path through our lawn. We plan dig down about 4″, lay down a layer of gravel and then sand to support flagstone. We want to grow stepables in the gaps between the flagstone (probably about 6″ gaps). What should we lay down as our top layer on top of the sand. Our original plan was to lay down another inch of gravel on the top but I am worried that the stepables won’t grow in the gravel/sand. What is our best bet?
I would lay a 2-3 inch layer of topsoil over the sand… many will grow in sandy soil, but pure sand could be tough for some!
Hi,
I’m wondering if any of these creepers would do well in a rock wall with large spaces in hot and sunny Sicily, if not any other recommendations? I’m looking for some low maintenance year round colour that will grow with little soil and won’t overtake.
I don’t know Sicily’s weather and zones, but I would think wooly or creeping Thyme would be a good choice, also sedums for hot and sunny places!
i’m sorry – Kathy – not Jenny. doh!!!
Hi Jenny – was wondering, the last image – what is that? the green foliage. I like the stepping stones, we found an old iron table that had 6 triangles that went together, only one was missing, so we have these gorgeous triangle steps, sitting in dirt because, we can’t figure out what that ground cover is. :-) Hope to hear back from ya!! And thank you for sharing.
Hi John! That bright green plant is creeping sedum, I believe its a variety called “Acre’… Good luck!
Hello! I live in western WA (Tacoma). I’m doing a flag stone path and would love to do the Corsican mint to fill in the spaces between the stones…I know mints can get crazy though, would that stay low to the ground? I also love the pretty flowers on the creeping thyme, I was thinking of doing that just bordering both sides of the path. Would either of these do well in my area?
Corsican Mint would love it, and it does stay low… Creeping Thyme will do well if it has enough sun and good enough drainage…. It will grow a bit taller… Hope this helps!
Hi – great ideas here. We’re planting Turfstone (lattice-like stone) near our fire pit and need some stepable moss (?) or other very low plant to fill in the squares. It also needs to be shade tolerant, hearty, and maybe most importantly, deer resistant as we are in the Adirondacks. Do you know if any of the common recommendations (blue star creeper, Scotch or Irish Moss, etc.) could fit this bill? Thanks!
Hi Sandy! Scotch Moss is deer resistant and likes shade, might be the perfect fit of you! Sounds like an amazing fire pit!
Would it be possible to give the latin names , species/genus ? You use names common to the US and these are not known to us in Europe .
That is a great idea, I will try to update soon with Latin names!In the meantime, if there is one you are interested in, Google the common name and you should have no trouble finding them!
Hi… I’m in Texas, just north of Houston. We have drought, floods, the occasional single digit temps in winter and triple digit in summer… high humidity as well. I’m looking for a low ground cover to surround a saltwater pool. We’ve regular mints growing well around it now (natural mosqito repellant), but I’d like something much shorter around the stone paths and a no-mow solution to the area still planted with water hogging St. Augustine. The Corsican mint looks possible but I’m not sure about my climate for it… any brilliant suggestions I’d be most grateful!!
Im not familiar with the Texan climate, readers, any ideas? Something that has worked for you?
I live in SE Idaho, which is high mountain desert. Any suggestions for a “steppable” for a very sunny area?
I have a walk path with stepping stone where I would love to grow some ground covers. The problem is I have a bunch of trees that lose all their leaves in the fall and the whole backyard is covered. The question is, can I rake the leaves and don’t damage the ground cover?
Most stepables are pretty tough, and can take a light raking…
I came across this post and I love it! I’m talking my husband into doing a side yard path with flagstone and I LOVE the dwarf blue bugleweed. This is probably a dumb question, but how do you go about planting it? Do you just spread the seeds or is it best to already have the plants started? Sorry. We are totally new to this whole gardening thing, but I’d love to do it!
I would get a flat of new plants, they spread really fast!
I planted Steppables several years ago around the stepping stones to our above-ground pool. Only a small percentage survived. What’s the trick to letting them take hold and spread?
What are your conditions and which plants did you plant?
Do you know which stepables would do well in Chicago? Our back yard is shaded in the summer by a huge oak tree and we do get below freezing in the winter.
Most of the stepables in the post are hardy to freezing… It’s always best to check with a nursery near your home, because hardiness can even vary within a city!
We are southeast Washington and I am intrigued with the thought of using Irish or scotch moss on our north side but assumed we didn’t get enough moisture to sustain it. I use our automatic sprinkling system, but it barely keeps the lawn alive during the hot summer months. Do you think moss would work?
Oh yes and this side of the house is nearly always shaded.
Hi Veronica! Where are you? We are actually in the Tri Cities, so we feel your pain! I honestly don’t think moss would thrive, even on the north side… we use a lot of Thyme and “Angelina” sedum… Beaver Bark in Richland has some great plants, and advice for this area!
Please keep in mind that plants like these are notorious for not staying in one place–I am fighting huge patches of bugle weed (planted by a previous owner) that have infiltrated the grass–creeping Jenny and things in the mint family are the worst.
Too many things that we plant without a second thought escape into natural areas and degrade native habitats.
Good point, but it also depends on where you live… what is a great decorative plant in one area, can be invasive in another… When in doubt, check with your local nursery!
I was wondering if anyone knows which of these, if any, would stand up to two large dogs running on it?
what stepables could I use that are nontoxic to dogs & potbelly pigs?
I believe Thyme would be, but you should check first with the ASPCA… they have a list of toxic plants!
I just got stonecrop for my garden, i’m not sure about pigs but it is listed as being dog-friendly
Hi Kathy,
Thank you so much for this info. My front courtyard is mostly sunny. I have placed some big pavers to fill in part of the area and want to put some of the ground cover in between the stones. Will the ground cover work in sun?
Many of these will, including the Thyme and the sedums!
Was wondering when these come up in the spring, how long do they last before dying off?? Would they work on a Rockery.
Which plants were you wondering about Shirley?
I live in Enumclaw, WA and my property is verysunny. I built a new home and added a stone walkway. I planted Bluestar Creeper along the stone walkway and it came up fine, but did NOT comeback in the spring. The Bluestar said to 14 degrees, and I know we hit that. So this spring I replanted with Super Star Creepers as the description said to “0” degrees. Please advise if I should cover with compost, or just leave alone, It was allot of work, used 7 flats and I don’t want to have to replace each year.
Blue Star creeper should be hardy, we know the Seattle area well… You did have a LOT of rain last winter, I wonder if that was more the issue than the cold? The truth is, sometimes plants just fail to thrive and we are never sure why. I did some research on your “Super Star” and it doesn’t’ appear you should need to cover them, though it never hurts, as long as you wait until they have died completely back to the roots so they don’t rot, especially in Seattle rains… Hope this helps!
I am planning on covering my lawn with cardboard and putting in stepping stones and stepables. What depth should the soil be? Should I plan to also use sand and/or gravel?
Hi Susan! Is the plan to use the cardboard to kill the grass? Will you be removing it afterward, or are you hoping to add soil over the top of the cardboard?
I live in Lincoln, CA near Sacramento. I need a dark green groundcover to plant all around 25 stepping stones that lead to a brick landing for our view of Mill Pond on the golf course. Our summers are dry and HOT, what do you recommend. I need something that stays low, like two inches at the most, us oldies but goodies do not want to trip.
Hi Jean! You are in my parents neighborhood there in Lincoln! What I would suggest is that you go to your local nursery and ask to see the creeping sedum varieties that grow well in your area… Sedums are heat and drought resistant, and come in ever green color from lime green to blue green to emerald green… They are tough plants and you can find varieties that will grow low enough to not be a tripping hazard! You can read more about them here… https://www.finegardening.com/article/creeping-sedums
Hope that helps!
Kathy
Thank you, Kathy. My daughter used to live in Kennewick and we are from Castle Rock, WA but love living near our grandchildren in Cameron Park! I bet I have seen or met your mother somewhere in Lincoln Hills!. We live on Fairway Valley Lane. Thanks for you reply. Green Acres used to sell Stepables but no longer for some reason. They were reluctant to give me much advise on groundcover, think my back yard is just too hot for anything so I am thinking pebbles for me stepping stones. Not as pretty though. So sad. Jean Davies
Hi, I planted several different stepables in between my flagstone and it hasn’t done very well. Mostly some of the different thymes. I think it may be because it stays kind of damp there. Is there anything you could suggest that could take soil that doesn’t drain too well. Thanks!
The Irish or Scotch mosses would be a good choice, as would Blue Star!
I am looking for something to spread over a larger area that stays very low to the ground.
Have you tried wooly thyme?
Is there a stepable plant that would work well in phoenix arizona full sun? I am so tired of rock!
Any of the sedums are good choices, and wooly thyme as well… just make sure they get regular water the first summer as they establish!
HI,
Love the post! I was wondering if any of these plants are tame enough to just stay in between and not take over? The Irish and Scotch moss want to go everywhere and I can’t keep up with them. I can hardly see my cobblestones and have to cut it away…
Help if you can, please?
Thanks very much.
Well, I understand your issue! Most of the stepables are meant to spread, its part of the groundcover process… It depends somewhat on your garden conditions…for instance, sedums will spread more quickly in a warm summer area, while the mosses will spread more in shady, cool coastal environments… Anyone know of a step able that is well behaved? Dwarf bugleweed perhaps? Good question Cheryl Ann!
Thanks so much for the help, I will try the dwarf bugleweed. I live on the Olympic Pen. of WA and the scotch and irish moss took over the whole pathway…I want to be able to see the stones and just have the plants between…I took all of the moss out. Dwarf bugleweed next…:)
It should do better over there (bugleweed), mosses would go crazy over there! We are inland Wa… can’t wait to move back to the west side!
The Dawarf Mundo Grass spreads nicely and will only fill in the cracks and not take over! Also the No Mow Grass is so slow growing that it couldn’t get away from you and would be beautiful! xx
You should try one of the thymes. They have the added benefit of wonderful scent when stepped on, and grow more slowly, reaching their limit in less space.
Hi Jenny!
I wondered if you would mind if I link to this article from my website. I was just blogging about putting creeping thyme around a pool area and ran across this wonderful description of steppables. Thanks a bunch!
Julie
That would be fine Julie!