The variegated cultivars are especially colorful. In the garden, culinary Thyme is most commonly a compact, upright growing herb with small, fine textured foliage. As you might guess after thousands of years of growing Thyme, mankind has made many selections of Thymes to cook with. And they are like the creeping Thyme in their cultural needs (see above).
#PERENNIAL THYME GROUND COVER CRACK#
Thyme likes to grow up over the top of the rock’s hot, hard surface with its roots below the rock which acts as mulch, keeping the roots moist and cool Hence, its preference as a crack filler for flagstone or slate patios and walkways. Back East, the flagstone equivalent are slate pavers. This a western landscaping rock that looks like slabs of irregular brown slate but is of sandstone origin. I have always had best luck growing Thyme in between flagstone. Thyme doesn’t want to be grown too dry so irrigation is needed in hot weather and occasional supplemental water during the winter if conditions are very dry. Prolonged muggy heat and hot nights is not to their liking so they aren’t generally suitable for the Deep South and Gulf Coast.
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Ideally, Thyme like warm to hot days and cool nights as many of the species grow in the foothill and mountains of their native lands.
#PERENNIAL THYME GROUND COVER PATCH#
The key to a great Thyme patch is to provide the plants with a full sun location in well drained, preferably “lean” (low nutrient and humus content) or sandy soils. The blooms rest right on top of the flat branches creating a blanket of color in full bloom. The creeping Thyme are a great group of ornamental groundcovers enjoyed for their wonderfully textural mat-like stems and foliage and the showy flowers that bloom in colors of white, pink, rose and rose-red.
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The various species are planted for use as medicinal plants, as culinary plants and as ornamental plants of the finest order. Native to the Old World of Europe and the Mediterranean, this herb has had a close association with mankind since the times of the ancient Egyptians and the Romans. The genus Thymus (Thyme) is a wonderful group of herbal plants for both culinary and gardening use. He is a recognized expert in the field of waterwise gardening and xeriscaping and a sought-after speaker on these subjects throughout the United States.
![perennial thyme ground cover perennial thyme ground cover](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ea/40/fd/ea40fd2b49155fd74b444a6d1aa442f3.jpg)
David Salman, Chief Horticulturist at High Country Gardens has spent over 26 years in pursuit of better plants for eco-friendly landscapes.