Low, spreading natives that knit together to cover bare ground, smother weeds, and replace thirsty lawn or mulch. For Vermont, the right natives are shaped by Green Mountains & Champlain Valley and a cold, humid continental climate. Every species below, from Woodland Phlox and Wild Geranium to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Vermont and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–5. A living native groundcover does everything mulch does and then keeps doing it for free — covering soil, blocking weeds, and feeding wildlife as it goes. Match the spreader to the site (sun or shade, wet or dry), plant on tight centers so they close ranks in a season or two, and weed faithfully that first year while they fill in.
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Phlox divaricata
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, carpets bare soil 12–18 in wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, good through zone 8, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
Geranium maculatum
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, carpets bare soil 1.5–2 ft wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, happy in loam soil, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
Tiarella cordifolia
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, settles in as a weed-suppressing carpet 1–2 ft wide, no taller than 6–12 in; it flowers in Apr and May.
Achillea millefolium
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, carpets bare soil 1.5–2 ft wide to replace thirsty lawn or mulch, white (wild form) flowers, and it blooms May through Aug.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, a mat-forming native, 4–8 in tall and 3–6 ft wide, that fills in and crowds out weeds, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
Phlox subulata
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, knits across the ground 1.5–2 ft wide and just 4–8 in tall, no mowing needed, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, a low 30–50 ft-tall carpet that closes ranks 10–20 ft wide and shades out weeds; it flowers in Jun.
Rhus aromatica
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, a mat-forming native, 2–6 ft tall and 5–10 ft wide, that fills in and crowds out weeds, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
Asarum canadense
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, spreads low — 4–8 in tall, 12–18 in wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds — it flowers in Apr and May.
Sporobolus heterolepis
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, a living mulch at 2–3 ft tall, fanning 2–3 ft wide to cover soil and block weeds.
Carex pensylvanica
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, weaves a 6–12 in-tall mat 1–2 ft across to blanket bare ground, cold-hardy to zone 3.
Polystichum acrostichoides
In Vermont's Green Mountains & Champlain Valley, spreads low — 1–2 ft tall, 1.5–2.5 ft wide — to knit bare ground and smother weeds.
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.