Eventually (ideally), the plants will fill in and mulch themselves. What do we have to do to prepare the soil? I planted Elfin Thyme in place of my backyard lawn. Find ideas and inspiration for Creeping Thyme to add to your own home. Twitter. There is no reason to use this awful poison. We suggest spot treating the weeds, as opposed to blanket applications, when applying them. I’m in zone 7b and would like to do it in the fall. Pinterest. . 16 Spreading Plants for Paved Areas. Is anyone concerned about thyme becoming invasive in rural environments? Would be interested in what you think might work and pros/cons to what I've already listed. He clearly cares about the earth our children and our pets other wise he would of left or at that terrible poisonous chemical which we all hate. While flowering lawn weeds are often seen as a nuisance, they can ... and creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum). It's a low maintenance plant that can take a lot of abuse too! Most sources recommend planting smaller areas. I have planted thyme seeds in my lawn, without digging up the grass, and the thyme seems to be taking over the grass. Also, it must be solid and dense, no more than 2″ high, and require very little water. I’ve planted this and it filled in half my backyard in a few years. Second – it is highly toxic. The reason you've seen advice to cover the entire plant during the winter is because the stems can become desiccated and die off in winter if there is no snow cover or … Of course, we don’t recommend the use of Roundup or any chemical pesticide. Hey, maybe that’s your problem, you didn’t finish reading……..if you had kept reading, its says “But you’re not in this for easy, you’re in it to protect yourself, your loved ones, and the environment at large from harmful sprays.” Don’t be dumb and rude, read the whole article first!!!! Weigh it down with rocks or mulch. Rainwater is trapped in the fibers, keeping the ground underneath wet a little longer. Have you ever stepped on a bee with bare feet? Was just thinking the same thing Gloria.. The thyme filled in nicely. I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars only to find a repeat of this with the thyme plants. 3) I’m not familiar with the pattern of growth. Even when it rained this spring the wind would dry out the area pretty quick. My lawn was destroyed by the Cheber beetle and the crows, skunks and raccoons pulled up the week grass by the clumps. Creeping thyme is one of the many types of thyme available, which is a herb commonly cultivated for culinary use. I have to much to pick by hand. If you are a habitat enthusiast, fed up with fussing over a high-maintenance lawn … After all, the sentence that follows makes it clear what we think. Your personality is fun and inspiring just like a garden. Good point…means as far north as zone 4…thanks for the smart edit! Article by Carmen Spradley. Which is better, starting from seeds or is that not a good idea, or transplant? (Zone 5) Mediterranean Creeping Thyme: This plant produces lots of deep pink flowers in big clusters. A quick and cheap way to kill off a large area of grass or weeds is to mix vinegar, table salt and a little dish soap in a sprayer and go to town! Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) By comparison, the Coccineus Thyme grows very low to the ground, and flowers more heavily, and never needs pruning. Boycott Monsanto and their products! Is there any weed killer that is available other than pulling the weeds which are now to numerous to take out or that won’t kill the thyme? It requires less water, is generally tough (see “walking on thyme” below), drought resistant, hardy all the way north to zone 4 if it’s healthy, and will spread easily to fill in most of the space that you want it to. Do you think thyme would work for me in this situation? The easiest way is to use multiple applications of some nasty herbicide like Roundup®. The thymus genus is a large group, all of which are perennial plants in moderate climates. Thank you, JT. (Shelley’s viewpoint) In my opinion, there’s nothing better thanhaving your own “homegrown” herbs in the kitchen. One ore two weeds pop up but if I pull them the day I see them their is never a problem and I don’t spend more than 5 minutes a week. To all you fussing about Roundup go back and re-read. Height is about 2 1/2 inches. Be sure to till once the plastic is removed. I think you misread our comments… Here’s what we said about RoundUp in the post: How to do it? Plant different kinds of thyme — silver, creeping, wooly — for a variety of colors and flowering times. Stone and gravel mulches are popular and won't break down but they can be back-breaking to install and will raise the heat temperature in your yard. I think the best way to do it is to lay down cardboard/newspaper over top of the present lawn, then add mulch/soil/etc. The competition is grass, daises, painters brush, and while theses are wonderful, they don’t last and wish the thyme would take over. Hope this helps. That’s is much cheaper than lots of plugs and cheap enough to “try it and see”. My question is: it is spreading slowly, how can I get it to spread quicker? Certified organic Ground Cover Thymes for sale at Mountain Valley Growers Of course, we don’t recommend the use of Roundup or any chemical pesticide. It also depends on how quickly they establish and that is dependent on site conditions like soil, exposure, irrigation, etc.4) No! Make sure the plastic has no holes and that it extends several inches beyond the turf. That’s why I’ve curated my research to provide you with micro clover lawn pros and cons (so you don’t have to). Combine and spray. You can save a lot of money by just dragging hoses and setting out sprinklers but the hose-dragging method requires some labor and dedication which your schedule may or may not allow.The one thing I encourage you to remember as you consider your options for irrigation is not to forget about your existing tree. Wood mulch is readily available at garden centers, big box stores and landscape supply outfits and is pretty easy to spread. Good grief, these days it seems people have lost the ability to recognize humor. And we didn’t think our slightly tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Roundup was the lazy man’s way out would be taken seriously. https://www.planetnatural.com/water-purity-organic-gardening/ Before getting into a project, researching your options is key. As long as you’re … Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) serves double-duty as a cooking herb and a lush ground cover with showy, pink blossoms in midsummer. (Great, well written and informative article bt the way!). Is it a trip hazard? They helped us clear a whole area of field to plant veg and are now busy on another patch. I've seen it done that way but the method has pros and cons.5) There is no one perfect method of irrigation; they all have pros and cons in terms of cost of installation, water conservation, aesthetics, maintenance, etc. I’m not sure how old this article is but I’m considering planting a very very large area to creeping thyme. And should be left at that. Thyme is an ideal grass alternative. I planted elphin thyme in between my stone pavement and it is having trouble with weed growth. My husband takes care of our limited lawn areas. Here’s just a few: https://www.planetnatural.com/herbicide-mothers-milk/ I live on a working ranch so I have several questions about this plant? But make a path with stones or pavers for high traffic areas. I visited an herb farm in Burley, WA where she used wooly thyme as all the path covering. Here’s our response to one of our forum questions Is Roundup Safe? In our research trials, mowing the lawn very short (1.5 in.) The thyme stayed green while frozen (slight browning), sage stayed green (moderate browning) and the jasmine vines on the fence stayed green all winter despite freezing. And what brand of roundup do you recommend? Facebook. The Wooly Thyme seems to be my best grower but I am partial to the Elfin Thyme. Once we get rid of the grass and given time say 3 years will scatter seeding the thyme be successful or would he be better buying plants but planting them 3-4'apart?". But you’re not in this for easy, you’re in it to protect yourself, your loved ones, and the environment at large from harmful sprays. You didn't mention soaker hoses. A natural remedy for killing unwanted grass/weeds is: white vinegar, Dawn Dish Soap and Epsom Salt. Creeping thyme is a maintenance free, hardy, evergreen edible herb with aromatic foliage and attractive white flowers in Summer. That toxic chemical has nothing to do with “Planet Natural” and is the furthest thing from organic! Here's the link to the CSU Soils lab: http://www.soiltestinglab.colostate.edu/ 3) How quickly your thyme fills in depends in part on how closely you plant the individual plants; if you plant them close together (ie. Thyme smells great and it is fun to walk on. Ground cover plants add beauty, along with a finishing touch, to a landscape garden, and also prevent soil erosion. It says to mulch in winter. Learn which plants are appropriate for paved areas. Though creeping thyme is edible, it is not usually grown for this use, and instead is considered to be an ornamental plant that works well as ground cover. See more ideas about creeping thyme, ground cover, ground cover plants. Some gardeners mow their thyme after it flowers to keep it neat looking and encourage it to spread. Since thyme doesn't like competing plants and we would like to plant maybe flox or some other ground cover with the thyme in areas close to the rocks and some natural tall grasses. I would like leaves early in the spring and late into the fall. If you’re looking to replace your thirsty grass with something more xeric, consider thyme. Do we mulch till it takes hold and starts to spread? And when you do walk on it, enjoy the smell that rises from your feet! We recently bought a house in San Jose, CA (hardiness zone 9b) and we have a new yard (meaning it’s just dirt, we have to plant whatever we want on it). Lol. 8" on center), they will cover the space quicker, if you plant them further apart, they will take longer (ie. In fact, a micro clover-only lawn has been tried and tested by many individuals with much success. This can be a slow and difficult process. Creeping thyme and wooly thyme are both classes as “ornamental” herbs rather than culinary . 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