![]() Aromatic herbs, like the various thymes, work well with many garden plants in boosting othr plants’ defenses and increasing growth. Other thymes that you may prefer: Woolly, lemon thyme, and hyssop thyme are examples of thyme varieties that can be used in the garden. Some are particularly good as cooking herbs. There are a variety of thymes to choose from. The fact that the thyme grows at or above knee height makes it easy to regularly reach down to bring out the scent of the thyme. Spring or summer, it’s always a joy to take a few seconds to rub the thyme between my fingers and encourage the aroma to waft through the air. In time, when the flowers begin to fade, the plants are happy to just sit back and take on an almost mossy look on the rock faces. In spring, of course, the thyme is filled with purple flowers that attract the early pollinators and help welcome summer. The thyme has filled in nicely over the years, spilling on to the rock faces and softening their hard edges. I remember buying a flat from a local big box store a few years back and tucking it between the rock edges of our new massive boulders and the soil knowing that the warmth of the boulders in spring would give the thyme an early kick start. We have it growing in the front garden spilling over massive boulders that line the one side of the garden and work as a type of retaining wall. Our creeping thyme is actually one of the first plants that welcome visitors to our home. In fall, just plug it into the ground in a spot you’ll want to grow it next year. You can even steal some to pop in a container planting for a couple of months to work its magic in a patio container. But, as noted above, it can take partial shade.Įvery couple of years, pull some out and spread it around the garden to enhance another pathway. Plant it in a sunny dry spot with average soil and you should be good to go. I like to think this excellent ground cover is almost impossible to kill. It grows in full sun to partial shade in dry to moderate moisture soils in USDA hardiness zones 3 through nine. And, it can even be used as a lawn substitute, especially for smaller areas where getting out the lawnmower just doesn’t cut it. ![]() It works nicely as a low-growing border plant as well as in between pavers and in a rock wall. ![]() This evergreen ground cover works like a living mulch to shade your soil, suppress weeds and conserve water. This aromatic ground cover spreads at a very controlled rate of a couple inches a year up to about 24 inches, so if you are looking for a quick cover, plant individual plants 6-8 inches apart. It is native to central, southern, and western Europe. A common name is mother of thyme, but creeping thyme and wild thyme may be used where Thymus serpyllum, which also shares these names, is not found. According to Wikipedia: Thymus praecox is a species of thyme. ![]()
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