#WOOLY THYME GROUND COVER FULL#

Creeping thyme lawns bounce back quickly, even after being trampled by rambunctious kids. Don’t let the soft nature or gentle flowers of this herb fool you. It’s important that a ground cover be walkable, and a creeping thyme lawn is no exception. A creeping thyme lawn can stand up to foot traffic. As a bonus for any beekeeper hobbyists, the pollen from a creeping thyme lawn adds flavor to the resulting honey. While the blossoms generally appear mid-spring, their characteristics and flowering times differ depending on the species of creeping thyme lawn you plant. The charming flowers are quite small, only about one-quarter inch across, but they’re rich in nectar and will draw bees to your yard. Planting a creeping thyme lawn will give those little pollinators something to shake their stingers about, because when the weather warms up, creeping thyme lawns bloom for a month or two, turning into a carpet of lavender or pink flowers. In recent years, many species of bees have experienced worrying population declines. A flowering creeping thyme lawn will attract bees. But if given a choice between creeping thyme or something else, they’ll usually opt for the latter. While creeping thyme falls in the “deer-resistant” category, this doesn’t mean that deer will never eat it. Deer are like stubborn toddlers facing a plate of broccoli: If there’s something more delicious around, they’ll ignore your creeping thyme lawn. Thyme is one of those plants that deer tend to leave alone unless they can’t find something more appealing. While no plants are deer-proof, some plants are less appealing to deer. Unfortunately, these creatures are just foraging for food that they can’t find in their natural habitat, which means your lawn and garden are what’s on the menu. You can always tell which neighborhoods have a deer problem from the condition of the landscaping.

Deer will steer clear of a creeping thyme lawn. Thyme is a great addition to many savory dishes and can be used with or without the stem, depending on the requirements of the recipe. Some species of thyme incorporate other flavors, such as earthy or lemony tones. Related to the mint family, the more than 300 thyme species share a similar flavor profile and aroma when crushed or steeped. This aromatic creeper emits a pleasant aroma when crushed underfoot or collected for use in the kitchen.Ĭreeping thyme species come in both fragrant ornamental and culinary varieties. Thyme is an herb, so it’s not surprising that certain species of creeping thyme make an excellent cup of tea or enhance the taste of a dish. Creeping thyme has a mint flavor and aroma. Some gardeners opt for giving their creeping thyme lawn an occasional once-over with the mower to encourage the herb to spread. The plant is considered a woody perennial, but the woody portion is comfortable to stand on and doesn’t affect your lawn mower if you do choose to mow it. Thanks to the herb’s growth rate and low height, you’ll spend less time pushing a lawn mower if you swap your traditional turf for a creeping thyme lawn. This natural tendency to fill in helps your creeping thyme lawn always look full. As well, instead of growing upward, creeping thyme spreads out, sprawling across and filling in thinly covered or bare areas. In most cases, a creeping thyme lawn won’t grow more than 3 inches high.Ĭreeping thyme grows at a medium rate, and its height caps out at about 3 inches-both excellent qualities for a ground cover. All you have to do to take care of a creeping thyme lawn is fight the instinct to water it like grass. Creeping thyme is susceptible to root drowning and edema, which is why the soil should be moist or dry.

#WOOLY THYME GROUND COVER FULL#

It prefers dry or moist soil, thrives in full sun, and loves the heat-which saves you from having to water constantly. In fact, creeping thyme actually dislikes wet conditions. When the hot weather comes, traditional grass lawns start to turn brown, but creeping thyme doesn’t. Creeping thyme lawns are drought-tolerant, requiring much less water than a traditional grass lawn. Would you believe it’s possible to have a good-looking, thick, soft ground cover that also saves on water? If you’re looking for a practical reason to switch to a creeping thyme lawn, this is it.

A creeping thyme lawn is drought-resistant and requires less water than traditional turf grasses. Soft enough for bare feet but tough enough to handle a heavy tread, a creeping thyme lawn is an aesthetically pleasing and practical alternative to grass. Many creeping thyme species thrive on neglect, and over time the plant grows lush and thick without becoming too long. Making the switch to a creeping thyme lawn reaps many benefits, chief among them being this ground cover’s minimal maintenance requirements.

Wooly thyme ground cover