Best Plants to Beat the Weeds

Why you can’t just “plant and forget”

Most of us dream of a garden where weeds are kept in check by strong, healthy plants that look good year-round. It’s tempting to think the solution is as simple as buying a few ground covers or shrubs, sticking them in the soil, and letting them do the work.

Sadly, it doesn’t quite work like that.

If the ground is compacted, the weeds are already rampant, or the soil is too poor for new plants to take hold, then even the toughest “weed-beaters” will struggle. You’ll just end up with patchy growth and a border that looks messy within months.

That’s why the secret starts before planting. In my 10 Plants to Beat the Weeds free guide I explain a streamlined, low-effort way to prepare the soil so your chosen plants actually get a head start. You don’t need to spend hours double-digging or carting in tonnes of compost. But you do need to give your new plants a chance to establish before weeds take over again. Once you’ve tackled that step, your ground cover and shrubs can do the heavy lifting for you.

Choosing the right plants for your garden

Even with the right prep, plant choice makes or breaks the result. Not every plant will thrive in every garden. The difference between success and disappointment often comes down to something simple: whether the plant is suited to your microclimate. The best tip for this is to look locally.

Here’s what to consider before choosing:

Soil type – sandy, loamy, clay, or compacted.

Moisture levels – dry and free-draining, or heavy and wet.

Temperature range & hardiness zone – crucial in cooler areas, windy sites, or coastal gardens. Find out your USDA Hardiness zone and check plants will work in your area.

Sunlight hours – full sun, partial shade, or deep shade.

When you match the plant to the place, everything changes. Growth is vigorous, coverage is quick, and weeds are starved of light and space. Get it wrong, and even the best “weed-busting” plant just limps along.

(If you’re not sure about your garden’s microclimates, I cover this in detail in the Self-Sustaining Garden course — there’s a whole module on mapping your garden so every plant is in the right place. It’s the easiest way to reduce maintenance while still getting the results you want.)

Five top plants to suppress weeds (UK and temperate zone-friendly)

Here are some proven winners from the 10 Plants to Beat the Weeds guide — each with its own strengths.

1. Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus)

A tough little daisy that thrives in cracks, walls, and the tops of pots. It seeds itself readily, filling every gap before weeds get a look in. Pretty enough to soften paths and walls, yet practical enough to block intruders.

2. Hardy geraniums (Geranium ‘Rozanne’ or ‘Tiny Monster’)

These are long-flowering, quick spreaders that cover bare soil in record time. Once established, they knit together to form dense mats that outcompete most annual weeds. Low effort, high impact.

3. Sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile and others)

Sedums form fleshy-leaved clumps that are both drought tolerant and highly competitive. They don’t allow gaps for weeds to push through and add year-round interest with flowers, foliage, and seed heads.

4. Bladder campion (Silene vulgaris)

A lesser-known but brilliant choice. Its unusual balloon-like flowers and tolerance for lean, dry soils make it ideal where other plants fail. It thrives in tricky spots and prevents weeds from re-establishing.

5. Silver bush (Convolvulus cneorum)

Compact, silvery foliage and large white blooms. It forms a low, dense dome that thrives in sunny, free-draining sites. Its tight habit shades the soil and makes life difficult for weeds.

Each of these fills a different niche — sun vs shade, dry vs moist, border vs pot. The trick is not to treat them as a “shopping list,” but as options to match carefully to your own conditions.

The payoff: less work, more beauty

Once you’ve:

• Prepared the soil the smart way,
• Chosen plants suited to your microclimate, and
• Given them one season to establish…

…you’ll notice something magical: the weeds simply stop being a problem. Your garden becomes:

• Lower maintenance – no constant weeding.
• Healthier – as living ground cover improves soil structure.
• More attractive – borders that look intentional and full, not patchy.

This isn’t about quick fixes or chemical sprays. It’s about creating a system where the plants themselves do the weed control for you. That’s the principle of a truly self-sustaining garden — less effort for you, and better results all round.

Next steps

Download the free guide: 10 Plants to Beat the Weeds — learn the low-effort prep method and see all my top plant picks.

Ready to go further? The Self-Sustaining Garden course shows you how to design your whole garden around these principles — turning every border, hedge, and corner into a low-maintenance, productive space.