Creeping Thyme

This amazing plant forms a mat of tough, attractive fragrant greenery that's perfect for rock gardens, areas around walks or steps, and between stepping stones. Its famous for cascading down over retaining walls and rocks. The flowers arrive in late spring into early summer, and cover the plant totally, almost obscuring the foliage.

For something so attractive, creeping thyme is as durable and tough as most lawn grasses. Many gardeners who grow it even use it in areas where it gets light foot traffic! And it goes right on being beautiful and green, with wonderful flowers every year.

Creeping Thyme must have a fast-draining location, since this plant, like lavender, is a dry land species, making it extremely drought-tolerant.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and... Thyme is one of the most historic plants on earth. Ancient Egyptians used it in embalming. Romans loved the fragrance and planted it all over Europe. Its been claimed to be everything from a trance-inducing drug to an aphrodisiac. Today, the essential oil from thyme is still commonly used--its a major ingredient in Listerine! Best of all, of course, is Thymes heavenly fragrance. (All parts of the plant are fragrant.)

Today, various members of the large thyme tribe are used in herb gardens, of course, but also as ornamentals in flower gardens and as ground covers. Its signature foliage, usually gray-green, is highly decorative, and the plants require almost no care once they are established.

Like lavender, its a plant that begs for gritty, fast-draining soil. So no mushy loam!