Lawn Alternatives: 12 Low-Water-Use Groundcovers for Hot Climates

By: Angela Judd | Updated: July 22, 2026

If you’re tired of what a grass lawn costs in water and upkeep, or you’re rethinking artificial turf, groundcovers are the better long-term answer. I’ve sorted this list into two groups because “groundcover” gets used loosely, and it sets the wrong expectation if you don’t know which kind you’re getting. Some of these are true groundcovers, low, spreading, closest to a walkable lawn substitute. Others are small shrubs that cover ground well but will read as a low shrub bed, not a lawn. Knowing which one you’re planting up front saves you a redo later.

Groundcovers alone won’t solve every cooling problem in a yard. Pair them with drought-tolerant shrubs and the right shade tree for real cooling; groundcovers handle the ground plane, but shrubs and trees do more of the heavy lifting once they’re established. More on why that layering matters in my 5 reasons to replace grass with water-saving groundcovers.

True groundcovers

These stay low and spread to form a mat, the closest thing to a walkable lawn substitute on this list.

Kurapia

Kurapia is a patented, sterile cultivar bred from frogfruit. It stays under an inch tall in full sun if left unmowed, spreads fast enough to fill in within a few months, and has held up well through Phoenix summers according to University of Arizona Cooperative Extension research. I’ve been growing it myself this season with great results so far, it’s the closest thing to an actual lawn substitute on this list. Because it’s sterile, it won’t reseed or spread where you don’t want it, unlike its parent plant below.

Frogfruit

Phyla nodiflora (Arizona native)

Frogfruit is the native species Kurapia was bred from, and it’s worth knowing the difference. Frogfruit stays low and spreads by runners like Kurapia, but it flowers and seeds, which means it can pop up where you didn’t plant it. In exchange, you get small white to purple button flowers nearly year-round in mild winters, and it’s a host plant for buckeye butterflies. If you want the true native and don’t mind some volunteer spread, choose frogfruit. If you want the tidier, non-reseeding version, choose Kurapia. See more Arizona natives in my native plants guide.

Gray Ice Plant (Malephora crocea)

Native to South Africa, gray ice plant tolerates temperatures down to 20°F and forms a low, trailing mat about a foot tall and up to six feet wide. Orange to red flowers with a yellow center show up in spring. Low litter, no thorns, and it does fine in containers too.

Creeping Myoporum (Myoporum parvifolium)

An Australian native groundcover that spreads fast, up to six feet wide while staying about a foot tall. It handles full sun to partial shade and works on slopes as well as flat ground. One caution from my own experience: don’t overwater this one. I lost mine to overwatering; it’s tougher on the dry side than people expect.

Trailing Lantana (Lantana montevidensis)

One of the easiest plants on this list to grow, and a genuine pollinator magnet, but it comes with a real caution: the berries and foliage are toxic to pets, not just an irritant to skin. If you have a dog that grazes in the yard, plant this with that in mind. It’s rabbit-resistant, hardy to 25°F, and spreads about a foot tall by four feet wide with lavender or white blooms from spring through winter.

Trailing Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’)

Fragrant, edible, and a good low-water choice, but it gets taller than the “groundcover” label suggests. Give it room to mound up over time rather than expecting it to stay flat against the ground the way Kurapia or myoporum do. Blue flowers show up in spring and winter and the bees love them.

Yellow Dot (Sphagneticola trilobata)

A fast-spreading groundcover with yellow daisy-like flowers spring through summer, good for quickly covering a large area or a container. It tolerates a wider range of light than most of this list, full sun to shade. Keep an eye on it, though, it can spread more aggressively than you want if left unchecked.

Creeping Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys ‘Prostratum’)

A genuine favorite for full sun spots that get 8 to 12 hours of light. It stays low, about a foot tall and three feet wide, and the pale pink flowers show up in winter and spring when a lot of the yard is otherwise quiet.

Small spreading shrubs

These cover ground well and need very little water, but they mound up rather than lie flat. Plant them expecting a low shrub bed, not a lawn.

Tufted Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa, Arizona native)

Large, fragrant white flowers that fade to pink, opening from dusk into early morning. Covered in more depth in my native plants guide. One thing worth knowing before you plant it: it can be more invasive than people expect, be thoughtful about where you put it so it doesn’t take over a bed you wanted for something else.

Blue Euphorbia (Euphorbia rigida)

A Mediterranean native with blue-green foliage and green flowers in winter and spring. Sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves if you’re cutting it back. Low litter, thornless, and pool friendly.

Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana, Southwest native)

Covered in more depth in my native plants guide and my reflected heat plants guide. Yellow daisy-like flowers in spring and fall on a small, tough shrub that handles reflected heat as well as regular full sun.

Bush Morning Glory (Convolvulus cneorum)

A fast-growing, silvery-leaved shrub from southern Europe with white funnel-shaped flowers most of the year. Pollinators are drawn to it, and it’s low litter, thornless, and doesn’t cause allergies or skin irritation, a genuinely easy plant to place near a patio or pool.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between Kurapia and frogfruit? Kurapia is a sterile cultivar bred from frogfruit, Arizona’s native species. Kurapia won’t reseed or spread on its own, while frogfruit will, since it flowers and sets seed. Both stay low and spread by runners.

Are these groundcovers walkable like a lawn? Some are. Kurapia, frogfruit, creeping myoporum, and creeping germander handle occasional foot traffic reasonably well. The small shrubs on this list, like tufted evening primrose and damianita, are not meant to be walked on.

Is trailing lantana safe to plant if I have pets? Be cautious. The berries and foliage are toxic to pets, not just an irritant. If your dog spends time in the yard and tends to graze on plants, consider a different option from this list.

Do groundcovers alone cool a yard down? Not entirely on their own. Groundcovers help more than bare rock or gravel, but shrubs and trees do more of the cooling work once established. A layered planting of groundcover, shrubs, and trees cools a yard more effectively than any one category alone.

Which of these groundcovers are Arizona natives? Frogfruit, tufted evening primrose, and damianita are true Arizona natives. Damianita’s native range doesn’t specifically list Arizona in AMWUA’s own text, though it’s a Southwest native widely grown here. The rest on this list are drought-tolerant introductions from other parts of the world.