Different Flowering Succulent Ground Cover With All Colors

Succulents are a great way to decorate your home indoors. However, they also can make a significant difference in your landscaping project. They are particularly suitable for carpeting bare locations in the garden. However, not all succulents are suitable for carpeting as not all of them can provide ground cover.

Some upright plants can provide good ground cover if they are short and spread with dense stems and leaves. Also, select succulents whose foliage and flower color complement the overall landscaping theme. We have picked five ground-covering succulents for each of the colors listed below.

The following are some categories that cover plants we can recommend categorized by flower color.

Succulent Ground Cover With Pink Flowers

#1. Aptenia cordifolia

This succulent is also known as the noon flower, or Rock rose. Its tiny heart-shaped dark green leaves characterize it. The leaves are succulent and glossy since they are covered with a green film. It is a perennial, but it lives for a relatively short time. This succulent is about 250 mm high, and its thin stems are usually thin and can be rounded or four-angled. Aptenia cordifolia rises to 25 cm in height and can spread in a radius of up to 60 cm since that’s how long its stems go. Its stem branches at the base send various branches in different directions. It produces small, daisy-like pink flowers.

#2. Conophytum globosum

This ground cover has been referred to with adjectives such as dwarf or compact. Their body is almost spherical and smooth. It is green in color, and it has a kidney-like appearance. The ‘kidney depression’ in the body usually produces a flowering stalk. The stalk produces pink flowers which have a yellow core. This succulent is a perfect ground cover because it is always in contact with the ground.

#3. Thymus serpyllum

This plant’s common name is Pink Creeping Thyme due to the color of its blooms. It is a dwarf plant that rises to only three inches tall but can spread up to 30 cm wide. It branches copiously from the rootstock forming a mat in the area it covers. Also, its little glossy leaves contribute to the overall look. It blooms prolifically into pink flowers in summer. It does best in rocky gardens, especially under shade.

#4. Phlox subulata

This low-maintenance plant is also known as the Pink Creeping Phlox. A mat of evergreen leaves and vining stems and branches characterizes it. The stem is usually green initially, but its color changes to tan, eventually getting woody and knotty as it ages. Its leaves are glossy with pointed tips; they may be described as lance-shaped and usually below an inch long. It produces a chock of pink flowers which fill your ground with beautiful colors and smells.

#5. Lamium maculatum

This plant, known as ‘Beacon Silver,’ rises to 5-8 inches but spreads indefinitely over time due to its sprawling stems. The plant roots at various points as it makes contact with the soil. Their leaves are soft, almost velvety, and they are hairy. These leaves could be spotted as the origin of their name. They can be heart-shaped or triangular. Lamium maculatum produces sometimes has spotted leaves which is the origin of their name. They produce pink, sheathed, hermaphrodite flowers.

Succulent Ground Cover with Yellow Flowers

#1. Sedum rubrotincum

This cultivar is a cross between Sedum pachyphyllum and Sedum stahlii. It is colloquially referred to as the Jelly Bean Plant due to the shape of its leaves. The leaves are pretty delicate, and they usually spot an almost translucent shade of light green. When exposed to direct sunlight, this plant’s foliage turns crimson.

It is not unlikely to find the tips of the leaves being red and the lower parts remaining green. This happens because the plant has many densely populated leaves that keep the sun’s rays from getting to the bottom of the leaves. They rise to 4-8 inches and spread to 10-12 inches. It clusters easily and can help cover the ground you want colors. Their flowers are bright yellow with a tinge of orange.

#2. Sedum pachyphyllum

This is another Jelly Bean Plant whose leaves are green but with a silver strip. It clusters easily, which makes it ideal for ground cover. Also, its upright 30cm tall stem tends to curve, which enables it to cover more ground. Leaf tips can turn red in winter and produce bright yellow flowers in summer. It can withstand direct sunlight and use for outdoor ground cover.

#3. Conophytum novicium

The bright, golden-yellow flowers characterize this ground-covering succulent. It produces a prolific clustering nature. It is made up of thick clustering leaves that are connected at the base by green-grey tissue. These leaves are decumbent, and as they cluster, they form a loose cushion covering your ground well.

#4. Sedum stahlii

If your ground has naturally occurring limestone or another type of rock, you can use Sedum stahlii as ground cover.  It occurs naturally in limestone and rocky soil, especially on slopes. Its leaves are beautiful and egg-shaped. The leaves are usually green, but exposure to intense sunlight causes them to turn red. It reaches a maximum mature height of ten inches but covers twelve inches of the ground. This succulent is slow growing, so you should have that in mind as you plant it for ground cover, but its appearance is fantastic. It blooms into bright yellow, star-shaped flowers.

#5. Faucaria lupina

It is also known as wolf’s jaws because its topmost leaves resemble animals’ jaws. It has long, triangular leaves with spines on the edges. The leaves are green with a touch of silver. It can cover the ground well due to its broad leaves and the fact that it is relatively short. You will need to plant as many as to cover the area you need to be covered. Bright yellow flowers that only bloom in sunlight crown this plant.

Succulent Ground Cover With Purple Flowers

#1. Portulaca pilosa

This succulent has long cilia, the source of its species’ name. Its morphology differs from habitat to habitat at different levels of development. It is considered a good ground cover due to its copious branching, especially when planted in a moist environment. Its stem is woody, and so are the plant’s numerous branches. It produces purple and pink flowers.

#2. Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora)

This relatively short plant can grow eight inches tall and one foot wide. It provides good ground cover because it has numerous branches and leaves. This plant’s leaves are light green in color. The wide mat it forms makes it even more challenging to see through the ground. It can tolerate intense sunlight, another reason it is a terrific outdoor plant. The Moss Rose produces flowers of different colors, including pink, orange, and purple. The flowers are showy and a great addition to your landscaping.

#3. Anacampseros tomentosa

This columnar succulent is only 5-10 cm tall. It has a stem from which proceeds a few fleshy branches. Leaves that form on the branches are closely packed so that they cover the ground beneath the succulent completely. The foliage is ovate but also rounded like small pebbles, and they are dark green. The surface of the leaves has relatively long cilia so that the [plant looks like it has a substantial amount of cobwebs. It usually produces a few poorly developed purple flowers. Its main attraction is its leaves and the haunted-house-like webs that entangle its leaves.

#4. Delosperma sphalmanthoides

This is the plant to go for if you are looking for ground cover in an area that experiences cold winters. It is a small cold-hardy succulent that only reaches a maximum height of 2-5 inches. On the other hand, its spread is relatively wide because it can cover a diameter up to 12 inches. Its blue-grey finger-like leaves stand upright and are dense enough to provide complete ground cover. In spring, it blooms, producing purple flowers with a daisy-like appearance.

#5. Delosperma sawdahense

This plant originates in Saudi Arabia to handle high heat levels from direct sunlight. Its leaves are plump and fingerlike. They appear to be covered with ice crystals. The plant rises just a few centimeters tall. It provides good ground cover due to numerous branches growing from a central rootstock. These branches are not visible because they are, in turn, hidden by the numerous leaf rosettes that grow on these branches. The rosettes provide excellent ground cover. Furthermore, this succulent blooms into beautiful purple flowers all summer, further beautifying your grounds.

Succulent Ground Cover with Red Flowers

#1. Mesembryanthemum ‘Red Apple’ (Baby Sun Rose)

This succulent is also referred to as Baby Sun Rose. It is a cultivar developed by combining Mesembryanthemum cordifolium and haeckelianum. Mat-forming succulents with beautiful, fleshy green leaves and a woody base from which the branches grow. They produce bright red daisy-like flowers with a yellow core. Its relatively vigorous growth enables it to provide you with ground cover fast.

#2. Acalypha reptans

This succulent is also known as Dwarf chenille. This evergreen ground-covering plant covers the ground in an 18-inch diameter and obtains a similar height. It is an annual plant, and it is not cold-hardy. Therefore, if you want to use it for ground outdoors for ground cover, your area mustn’t experience severe winters. The plant produces the right red flowers, a great addition to your landscaping effort.

#3. Catharanthus roseus

It is commonly referred to as the Red Periwinkle. It has fleshy, dark green, lance-shaped leaves. The leaves are glossy. It is a short-lived perennial, although some people prefer to grow it like an annual succulent. Bruised stems and leaves produce a milky sap. It grows up to 18 inches high and 10 inches wide. It may be considered a ground cover due to its dense leaves. The red periwinkle produces deep red flowers.

#4. Red Horned Violet (Viola spp)

It is a creeping succulent that rises to a maximum of 10 inches high while spreading to 12 inches wide. It forms a perennial ground cover that can withstand the elements and liven up the grounds with its vivid colors, from its bright green foliage to its vivid red flowers. This succulent also has floral fragrances to go with the color.

#5. Viola cornuta

This succulent is also known as red-horned violet. It is a perennial plant that can grow to 12 inches. Its spread can go up to one foot wide. This plant’s leaves are light green and ovate with teeth on the margins. Different plant species can produce different flower colors, some deep red. This plant not only produces not only flower colors and flowery fragrances.

Succulent Ground Cover with White Flowers

#1. Sedum lucidum

This is a rosette-forming succulent that is characterized by tiny many tiny green leaves. It clusters easily, producing a large number of tiny rosettes. Each rosette is about two or three inches in diameter, and when they form in numbers, they cover the ground. Its leaves turn crimson when exposed to direct sunlight. This cultivar produces white flowers with a yellow core. 

#2. Crassula cv. Bride’s Bouquet

This compact ground-covering succulent has small, fleshy green leaves. They are grayish-green, opposite leaves. These leaves have pointy tips. The plant’s stem is stiff but is usually forced to bend by the weight of this succulent’s leaves. Bending allows it to cover a larger surface area on the ground. The succulent flowers are small, with white petals and pink cores. This plant blooms prolifically, enlivening your grounds. The bride’s bouquet is succulent because its blooms resemble a bride’s.

#3. Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum

Plants in this genus are commonly known as slender leaf ice plants. It grows well in coastal areas, places with an altitude of between 0 and 100 meters above sea level. It is an annual herb whose stems are prostrate, and they form mats of stems that can be as long as 20 cm long. The plant has cylindrical leaves that grow from the branches. These cylindrical leaves form clusters from which white, daisy-like flowers grow. Ground cover in this plant is provided mainly by the stems and partly by the plant’s leaves. This plant’s leaf hues are green and bright red.

#4. Phlox subulata

This plant is also known as the Creeping White Phlox. It is a mat-forming, vigorously growing perennial plant. This plant’s leaves are dark green and may be described as needle-like. The plant grows best under direct sunlight. Phlox susbulata produces brilliant white flowers that easily enliven the grounds where you plant them. The flowers are scented to attract pollinators. This is one plant that makes your grounds burst with life.

#5. Vinca minor ‘Alba’

The plant is called ‘White Flowering Periwinkle,’ a low-growing shrubby plant with evergreen foliage. These leaves are ovate, and they are short. Their white flowers grow in spring and are about one inch wide. This cover plant has spreading roots ideal for retaining soil on banks and other locations. It rises to a height of only 15 cm.

Succulent Ground Cover with Orange Flowers

#1. Malephora crocea

This low-growing succulent is ideal for ground cover. It has a woody to corky stem that creeps on the ground. It roots at the nodes when the stem encounters the soil, and this fastens it on the ground. Its firm rooting establishes it quite well.

This, coupled with the fact that it is a perennial succulent, assures you that your landscaping job will always be on point. Its flowers are primarily bright orange but can also be red or yell in rare instances. The fact that it is succulent gives it a shallow level of flammability. As a result, this succulent has been recommended for ground cover in southern California, where the land is vulnerable. You can plant it in your yard for beauty and to protect your grounds and other property from bushfires.

#2. Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana

This bushy evergreen can reach a maximum height of 18 inches but is more likely to stop at 12 inches. It spreads to about 20 inches, and it is relatively slow growing. Its broad leaves ensure the plant offers a good ground cover. It produces beautiful orange flowers but requires cool temperatures since too much heat can delay flower formation.

#3. Echeveria pulvinata (‘Pulv Oliver’)

This beautiful succulent has green leaves with red tips. Leaves clustered toward the branches’ end may also develop pink and purple hues. Also, the foliage is hairy, and the plant can rise to one foot in diameter. This cultivar, a product of Echeveria pulvinata and Echeveria harsii, produces Orange flowers, but the inner parts of the petals are yellow. Echeveria pulvinata is a good ground cover succulent because it offsets easily. These offsets enable it to cluster, thus providing ground cover.

#4. Echeveria ‘Doris Taylor’

This is a cultivar between Echeveria pulvinata and Echeveria setosa. It, therefore, bears some characteristics of both its parents. It has dense glistering hairs on the leaf surface. The dense hairs are why it has the common name, ‘Wooly Rose.’ Also, the plant is characterized by bright green leaves that quickly form rosettes. The coating of soft white hairs offsets nicely, thus increasing ground cover from one plant. The wooly hairs on leaves protect them from the effects of direct sunlight. Also, this plant prefers direct sunlight to help it bloom. It produces eye-popping orange flowers, which add life to your garden.

#5. Lamparanthus autantiacus

It is also called the Orange Ice Plant due to its numerous orange flowers in spring and summer. It flowers quickly if it just receives proper care as usual. The orange ice plant only grows 14 inches high but spreads much further than it rises. It has been known to reach a diameter of 1.5 meters in some instances. This succulent’s tendency to bloom makes it an ideal cover plant. Its leaves are gray-green, fleshy, and with a triangular cross-section. This means that a leaf has three sides. Lamparanthus autantiacus’ suitability as a cover plant is further enhanced by its leaf density, making it impossible to see through.

Notes To Take Care of Flowering Succulent Ground Cover

Whether you get the benefit of ground cover and the enlivening flower colors in the ground you want to be covered will depend first on picking the right plant to suit your needs. Some plants are suitable for certain climates and not others, while others will serve you better in certain places than others.

If, for example, the ground you want to cover is susceptible to forest fires, get a non-flammable succulent to cover the ground. If the soil is bare in a slope you want to be covered, get a plant with spreading roots to hold the soil in place. Environmental conditions in your area also help you determine which succulent ground cover is most suitable for the plant.

The following are some care considerations for handling these plants.

• Soil: Succulents generally prefer breathable, well-drained soil. This is necessary because their roots require a good oxygen supply to remain healthy. It should be possible for water to pass through the pottage fast as this will only leave moisture on the pottage leaving the plant free of root rot, which is susceptible if the soil is waterlogged. Some succulents require more organic matter in their substrate than others, so you should find out how much you need.
• Water: Ground-covering succulents require water, like all other plants. However, it would be best to water them sparingly to keep the soil from waterlogging. Using the soak-and-dry method is the most recommended watering method. Soak the substrate with water and wait until the compost is dry to water it again. Watering flowering ground cover succulents is a delicate process because watering them overhead will inevitably cause the leaves of these plants to come into contact with water. Having water lodge on the leaves can cause root rot. Drip irrigation is, therefore, the best method for this type of water. Also, it is vital to determine whether your ground-covering succulents are okay with tap water since some can die from the water treatment chemicals.
• Temperature: Different succulents have different temperature tolerance, so knowing your succulent’s preference is essential. For the most part, succulents are hardy and can survive high temperatures and intense sunlight. However, some prefer shade over indirect sunlight. Furthermore, some of these succulents are cold-hardy, while others are not. Knowing whether the flowering ground-cover succulents you use on the grounds are cold hardy is vital to know whether it suits your location.
• Light: None of the succulents listed above doesn’t prefer intense light. Some need more light hours than others. Ensure the succulent gets sufficient light because, in many instances, light is necessary for the succulent to flower.
• Fertilizer: Some of the succulents we use for ground cover need additional feeding, depending on their nutritional needs. Those that need additional feeding usually require it during their growing or flowering seasons. Some need to be fed only once or twice annually, while others may need some weekly during growing seasons. It is always necessary to water your flowering ground cover succulents only during their growing season because then the plant will use it up. Feeding it when it is dormant can lead to the accumulation of chemical salts which is detrimental to the succulent.
• Dormancy: Succulents usually have growing and dormancy seasons depending on their species. Care in dormancy is different from care when the plant is growing.
• Pruning and Trimming: You will likely need to prune your ground cover succulent less. However, you may need to manage the growth of the plant. Some succulents can take more trimming than others. On the other hand, some of them require pruning to be healthy. Always ensure you use a sharp, sterilized cutting tool to prevent infections.
• Pests and Diseases: Succulents may be affected by pests and diseases. It would be best to keep them at bay, and the easiest way to protect the succulent is by keeping it healthy. However, there are various other methods of dealing with pests and diseases. You can spray them with a systemic pesticide to make them unpalatable to the bests. Use organic pesticides to eliminate pests if you haven’t used a systemic one. Some pests, like domestic animals and deer, require the creation of barriers, while others, such as slugs, require other extraordinary measures. Root rot is the most common disease in succulents, and you can avoid it by using the correct substrate and watering it as appropriate.

Final Thought

A ground-covering succulent should be short and spreading. The ones under 30 cm high are considered ideal for ground cover. However, plants also need to spread across to cover more ground. The flowering, ground-covering succulents above allow you to merge them into your landscaping color scheme. Always ensure you take care of them according to their specific needs. Also, please take note of the succulents’ toxicity or lack thereof to know where best to plant them.