I live in zone 7 (NC) and use ice plant as a ground cover in the sunnier portions of my Japanese garden. It might not be very traditional, but it grows well and stays low (less than 4"). Plus it has nice flowers. I also use some ornamental grasses (Blue fescue and Pink muhly) as well as Mondo grass.

Thanks for answering back. I live in San Diego and yes, the zone is 24.

I do have some Blue Fescue in the garden that is doing well. And I just took out all the ice plant, because it is so overused in gardens around here. I will look up the Pink muhly.

Thanks,
Sheryl

There are a lot of sedum varieties that would make nice groundcovers, particularly in your zone. My favorite is "Blue Spruce" which actually looks like little spruce needles. I've also got a small one with golden leaves but can't remember the varietal name.

If you have any shaded areas, Hakone grass makes a beautiful clumping groundcover. Mondo grass (Ophiopogon spp.) is also nice for shade.

Funny about the ice plant. Some types grow well here, but you rarely see it used for covering large areas.

I'm in zone 8. For my sunny areas I'm using wooly thyme and also Liptinella (New Zealand Brass Buttons). One bed has a dark variety called "Platts Black", another bed has the green. It resembles tiny fern leaves growing very close together. It spreads nicely and looks good against the rocks.

I have an old Japanese garden that is filled with Japanese species. It takes way too much water though and I'm trying to figure out how to revamp it with some more locally appropriate plant material, so if you have any brilliant ideas, share them please!