Varieties of Creeping Thyme

Creeping thyme, grown as ground cover, is related to culinary thyme.

Also known as mother of thyme, creeping thyme (Thymus spp.) makes an excellent low-growing and drought-resistant ground cover that is tough enough to walk upon once well established. Creeping thyme ground covers don't just prevent soil erosion. They also deter weeds, insulate soil and conserve moisture -- de facto living mulch. Plant fast-growing creeping thyme if you have lots of ground to cover. If you prefer flowers, select other slow-growing types.

Growing Creeping Thyme

Creeping thyme produces one set of leaves after another, which is the most energy-consuming part of its growth. The length of stem between sets of leaves determines the difference between fast- and slow-growing creeping thyme. Varieties that produce 1-inch stems between leaf sets spread faster than more compact plants. Creeping thyme also roots long its stem segments, so longer stems offer more potential rooting area. Mulching soil well helps support successful "creep" of creeping thyme; also water well during summer to get plants established. Most creeping thymes are cold hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 5. Creeping thyme blooms best in full sun but they can tolerate partial shade.

Slow-Growing Creeping Thyme

Choose a creeping thyme variety that suits your needs, to avoid disappointment. To fill in gaps between pavers, for example, you want an easy-going creeper so you won't be constantly battling aggressive plant growth. In addition to woolly thyme, four other cultivars of Thymus praecox arcticus fill the bill, according to Mountain Valley Growers, including "Elfin," which is just 1 or 2 inches tall and very slow growing. Delicate pink-flowering "Pink Chintz" features tiny, fuzzy gray-green leaves. Also a good choice is the "Mint" cultivar, which doesn't smell like mint; it has no fragrance at all. The chartreuse-green "White Moss" cultivar produces sprightly white flowers and spreads faster than other slow growers.

Fast-Growing Creeping Thymes

Plant more aggressive creeping thyme if you need to cover lots of ground. Mountain Valley Growers suggests various fast-growing cultivars of Thymus praecox arcticus, including "Creeping Pink Thyme." White-flowering "Lemon Frost" has round leaves and a wonderful lemon scent -- all the better to walk on. Also lemon-scented but more mounding in form is pink-flowered "Doone Valley Thyme," featuring solid green leaves in fall and winter but entering a variegated foliage stage in spring. Pink-flowering, richly fragrant "Lavender Thyme" has needle-like leaves and a cascading habit that's striking on walls and rock outcroppings. "Reiter's Thyme" is a very aggressive creeping thyme cultivar, one with a stunning spring floral display.

Culinary Creeping Thyme

The only creeping thyme that is also suited for culinary use is caraway thyme (Thymus herba barona), a fast-growing ground cover with a caraway scent and flavor, deep green leaves and red stems. Mountain Valley Growers suggests growing it with coconut thyme (Thymus pulegioides coccineus), which doesn't taste or smell like coconut. Both bloom heavily, with fat-flowered coconut thyme starting to bloom just as caraway thyme ends.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Groundcover - Thyme, Creeping, Thymus serphyllum; March 2009
• Mountain Valley Growers: Ground Cover Thymes
• West Virginia Unoversity Extension; Ground Covers; Clifford W. Collier, Jr., and George W. Longenecker and John Jett
• Ed Hume Seeds: Creeping Thyme is a Versatile Ground Cover