Swap Your Regular Grass For This Purple-Blooming Ground Cover

While yards covered in green turfgrass used to be the norm, many people are beginning to move away from this yard staple due to the environmental impact of grass lawns, as well as the amount of time and effort involved in their upkeep. Luckily, there are a wide range of ground cover plants to consider if you're planning to replace your lawn. One that should be towards the top of your list is the beautiful 'Purple Dragon' lamium (Lamium maculatum 'Purple Dragon',) a type of spotted dead nettle. Not only does 'Purple Dragon' lamium have beautiful green and silver leaves, but it also boasts lovely pinkish purple flowers which are a huge hit with pollinators like bumblebees.

When shopping for your 'Purple Dragon' lamium, it's important not to confuse it with a different kind of deadnettle: purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum). In most places, purple deadnettle is generally considered an aggressive but common lawn weed. While 'Purple Dragon' lamium can also grow quickly, it's not nearly as fast-spreading or difficult to control as many of its relatives.

One of 'Purple Dragon's' best characteristics is its ability to grow in a variety of light levels. This means you don't have to struggle with picking one ground cover for your shady areas and one for sunnier locations. Hardy in zones 3 through 8, 'Purple Dragon' is evergreen in many of the warmer parts of its range, so you don't have to look at a sad brown yard all winter. It is also tolerant of a range of soil textures and pHs as long as its growing medium is well-draining. Even better, 'Purple Dragon' is drought tolerant as well.

With a height that rarely exceeds 8 inches and a willingness to spread, it's not surprising that 'Purple Dragon' is such a beloved ground cover option. Just be aware that unlike some lawn alternatives, spotted dead nettles can't handle much foot traffic. If you're in search of a ground cover for more heavily used areas, you may instead want to consider other options, such as planting a thyme lawn.