Living Mulch: Groundcovers That Thrive in Dry Climates

If you’ve ever wrestled with cracked summer soil or spent hours yanking weeds under a blazing sun, you’re not alone. Here in Central Portugal, I tried everything to keep moisture in the ground without blowing through precious well water. Enter: living mulch, a permaculture-friendly solution that builds soil, suppresses weeds, and thrives even in brutal drought.

Green carpet beneath olive – We’re creating living mulch that cools soil and fights dry summer heat.

Forget thirsty lawns or plastic ground covers. These plants earn their keep, bringing beauty, bounty, and resilience to your land — no sprinkler system required.

Ready to armor your soil the natural way? Let’s dig into drought-tolerant groundcovers that actually work.

The Power of Living Mulch in Dryland Permaculture

In permaculture, "the problem is the solution", and bare soil in dry climates is a big problem. It leads to evaporation, erosion, and invites invasive weeds. But with the right groundcovers, you create a living skin over the soil that:

• Reduces evaporation and soil temperature

• Shields the surface from drying winds

• Prevents soil compaction from sudden, heavy rain

• Fixes nitrogen or adds biomass

• Generates mulch and organic material when trimmed

• Increases microbial activity and long-term soil health

• Provides food and habitat for insects, lizards, and birds

In Mediterranean climates like ours, the key is choosing perennials or reseeding annuals that love sun, survive long dry spells, and need little to no irrigation once established.

Edible Groundcovers: Beauty and Bounty in One

Thyme (Thymus spp.)

A Mediterranean legend. Creeping thyme forms a dense mat that withstands foot traffic, blooms pink in spring, and smells incredible when crushed underfoot.

Tough Tip: I plant it along stone paths and raised beds. It's forgiving and holds soil on slight slopes.

Oregano (Origanum vulgare)

Sprawling, spicy, and pollinator-approved. Oregano handles full sun and lean soils, and spreads quickly without turning invasive in dry conditions.

Tough Tip: I let oregano flower to bring in hoverflies and bees, then trim it back hard once the blooms fade. It comes back stronger.

Tool Tip: For quick, clean cuts when harvesting oregano or rejuvenating thyme, I rely on the Gardena Secateurs. Sharp, lightweight, and designed for tough stems. They’re built to last in a permaculture setting.

Ornamental Groundcovers: Fill Space, Not Your To-Do List

Santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus)

Also known as cotton lavender, Santolina has silvery foliage and cheerful yellow buttons. It thrives on neglect and forms a soft mound that repels pests.

Tough Tip: Works great as a living edge between veggie beds or along terraces.

Ice Plant & Red Apple Ice Plant

(Delosperma cooperi & Aptenia cordifolia)

These succulents carpet the soil with fleshy leaves and neon blooms. Ice plants are cold-hardy down to -15°C and laugh in the face of drought.

Hot-pink ice plant flower – We’re celebrating drought resilience with blossoms that cheer our dry garden.

Tough Tip: Mine survived 45°C heatwaves with zero irrigation. Just don’t overwater or plant in clay.

Soil-Building Groundcovers: Feed the Land, Not Just Yourself

Ballota (Ballota acetabulosa)

Often overlooked, this fuzzy-leaved cousin of mint tolerates extreme drought and poor soil. It deters deer and holds steep banks together.

Tough Tip: Combine Ballota with thyme for layered texture and long-term weed suppression.

Erodium (Erodium reichardii)

A compact, dainty groundcover that spreads low and fast. Excellent between pavers or in dry borders. Not just pretty — it helps stabilize microclimates.

Tough Tip: Use in cracks of old stone walls or patios where water trickles during rain. It’ll colonize with no effort.

How to Choose and Plant Drought-Tolerant Groundcovers

Living mulch groundcovers like thyme, oregano, and Santolina hold moisture, cool the soil, and feed your ecosystem with zero irrigation fuss.

• Start small: Don’t try to cover your whole garden at once. Begin with key erosion spots or footpaths.

• Mulch first: Use a layer of organic mulch while your groundcover establishes to reduce evaporation and weed pressure.

• Water deeply, then forget it: In year one, water occasionally to establish roots. After that, many of these thrive on rainfall alone.

• Mix functions: Combine edible, ornamental, and soil-building types to create diversity and resilience.

Low-maintenance hugelkultur cover crop – Tough Kraut’s matting succulents lock in moisture on our hugelkultur bed.

Tough Tip: Cluster plants in “guilds” — thyme under a fig tree, oregano under almonds. They cool the root zone while adding food and habitat.

Planting Tool of Choice: For quick planting in softer soil, I’ve used the Gardena Weeding Trowel, it’s lightweight and ergonomic, great for loose garden beds. But in the kind of compact, rocky clay we have here in Portugal, it lacks the sturdiness I need. I don’t personally use a Hori Hori knife, but many gardeners swear by it for rocky or compacted soils. It’s a versatile hand tool that digs, slices, and measures planting depth. A solid option if you want one tool that can do the job of three. The Namibagata Japanese Hori Hori Knife is one of the highest-rated options out there.

Herman’s Tough Kraut Fixes: Troubleshooting Living Mulch Groundcovers (FAQ)

Struggling with patchy thyme? Wondering why your ice plant looks soggy? You’re not alone. Even the hardiest drought-tolerant groundcovers have quirks. Below are some of the most common troubleshooting questions from gardeners trying to use living mulch in dry climates — with real, field-tested solutions from our Tough Kraut land.

Q: My thyme keeps getting woody and sparse. Is it dying?

A: Woody growth is normal in older thyme. It just needs rejuvenation. Cut it back by about one-third in early spring to promote fresh, compact growth. After flowering, prune again to prevent legginess. You can also take cuttings to fill in bare patches or propagate new beds for free.

Q: My ice plant turned mushy after rain. What happened?

A: Ice plants hate poor drainage. If soil holds water too long, their roots rot. Plant them in sandy or rocky soil, or mound up raised pockets with gravel. Never irrigate during humid spells — they store water internally and will rot from kindness.

Q: Should I fertilize my oregano and thyme to speed up growth?

A: Skip the fertilizer. These herbs prefer lean, dry soils. Rich soil can make them floppy and reduce essential oil content. Focus instead on good sun exposure and airflow.

Q: My creeping groundcovers aren’t spreading. Why not?

A: In dry zones, spreading takes time. In year one, establish strong roots with deep, infrequent watering. Avoid constant surface watering, which causes shallow root systems. Also check for mulch crowding the base, it can slow lateral growth.

Further Reading from the Land

Looking to deepen your dryland planting skills or design your own drought-resilient guilds?

• Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway

  A foundational book that simplifies permaculture design for real people. Packed with groundcover strategies, companion planting, and microclimate management.

• Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer & Claudia West

  A stunning guide to designing layered, resilient plant communities that mimic nature, including how to use living mulch for long-term structure and beauty.

• Tough Kraut Resources — From pruning shears to water systems, it’s everything we rely on to keep our garden growing, pantry stocked, and homestead running.

Build Soil. Build Resilience. Let Plants Do the Work.

Bare soil is a burden, one that saps water, invites weeds, and burns up in the sun. But when you layer in the right drought-tolerant groundcovers, you turn your soil from exposed to empowered.

These living mulches work for you. They cool the ground, feed the system, and give back more than they take. Whether you're covering a dry slope, tucking thyme into pathways, or building a fruit tree guild, these plants form the backbone of a low-input, high-resilience system.

And best of all? You don’t need to be an expert or have a hectare of land to start. Join the Kraut Crew and get field-tested insights, failures, and fixes straight from the land

Start with one square meter. Watch it grow. Let your mulch come alive.