Groundcovers are a favorite landscaping feature among gardeners for lots of reasons: they help reduce labor in the garden, control erosion, replace grass under a shady tree, and make bare ground space look beautiful. You unfortunately can’t eat mondo grass, ivy or Asian jasmine, but did you know that there are groundcovers that you CAN eat? Let’s talk about edible groundcovers!
Edible Herb Ground Cover Plants
Creeping Thyme
Thymus serpyllum
This petite herb is a tiny, aromatic one that comes in a variety of colors and features little flowers. Cute and edible! To ensure it performs at its best, give it part sun (4 hours minimum) and more soil moisture while it is growing. It is quite drought-tolerant once it has been established and requires little maintenance. There are many varieties of creeping thyme. Each one will have its own unique flavor, aroma, and culinary uses.
Prostrate Rosemary
Rosmarinus Officinalis “Prostratus”
This fragrant herb is commonly overlooked in favor of its upright, bushier form. However, the trailing variety is a stunner too! Although it is more common to see it spilling over walls than it is in the ground, it tastes just as wonderful in each form and the growing habits of prostrate rosemary make it an excellent perennial groundcover. Rosemary simple syrup can be used to enhance cocktails, garnish salads, or to add to marinades.
Edible Desert Ground Cover Plants
Mint
Mentha spp.
Who doesn’t love mint? It is a fragrant and fast-growing herb. If you don’t want it to cover a large area, don’t plant it; it multiplies quickly. It thrives in full sun, but will also tolerate some shade. The leaves can be used in salads, marinades and teas as well as cocktails. We even use mint to flavor our chocolate-flavored smoothies. Mint makes a great groundcover between stepping stones on walkways. It releases its refreshing scent as you brush against it, too!
Alpine Strawberries:
Fragaria Vesca
Alpine strawberries don’t produce the same large fruits as the garden strawberry, but their fruits are still delicious! This variety of strawberry does well when interplanted among other veggies. They don’t spread by underground runners like garden strawberries, so their ground-sprawling habits are much more manageable. Alpine strawberries prefer full to part sun and well-drained soil with consistent moisture. Use alpine strawberries the way you would use garden strawberries – fruit salads, smoothies, cocktails – the options are endless!
