I had no idea what to focus on this month for my foliage follow-up post, the meme hosted by Pam at
Digging to celebrate the important role foliage plays in the garden. Or, to be more accurate, I had several ideas but couldn't get excited about any of them when I went out into my garden to take photos. Then I noticed how well the creeping thyme surrounding the flagstones in my garden was doing and, instantly, I had my focus.
A number of people have commented on how nice the thyme looks in my southeast side garden. Frankly, I'm surprised at how well it has filled in since I planted the area close to 18 months ago.
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| Photo of pathway through my southeast side garden taken earlier this month |
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| Photo of the same path facing the opposite direction, taken yesterday |
The thyme I used in this area was
Thymus serphyllum 'Minus' (aka wooly thyme), a very low-growing form that spreads widely. I bought flats and planted small clumps approximately 2 inches in diameter roughly 12 to 18 inches apart around the flagstones. I watered a few times a week after my initial planting but cut back to twice a week within a month or so. The area now gets watered once a week during our cool season and twice a week during our warm season.
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| This photo shows just how densely the thyme grows |
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| "Weeds" such as Erigeron karvinskianus (Santa Barbara Daisy) and Lobularia maritima (Sweet Alyssum) occasionally gain a foothold but they're easily pulled if they try to take over |
When we tore out the lawn in our front yard last year and installed flagstone paths throughout that area as well, it was natural to select the same thyme to fill in between and around the stones. Upon inspection, I was pleased to find that it's filling in nicely too even though it was just planted in December.
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| Despite our limited rain and my stingy irrigation, the pretty green carpet is steadily filling in - perfect for both foliage follow-up and St. Patrick's Day! |
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| This area to the left of the front door was planted in late December and somewhat more sparsely than the area on the other side of the doorway but, despite this and the fact that the soil in this area is poorer, the thyme is filling in, albeit a bit more slowly |
Although the thyme flowers too, I love mainly it for the dense blanket of evergreen foliage it provides year-round, for its drought tolerance, and for the way it sets off both stone and other plants.
For other foliage highlights, please
visit Pam at Digging.
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© 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
