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Creeping Thyme

Thymus praecox 'Albiflorus'  • 

Photo: Creeping Thyme

General description

Creeping thyme (Thymus praecox 'Albiflorus') is a low growing herbaceous perennial ground cover with an attractive fragrance that is a joy to the home garden. Small evergreen leaves are dark green in color and tiny rose-purple flowers appear in late spring.

Like their upright counterparts, creeping thymes bear leaves that offer a relatively delicate texture for landscape design considerations. Spicy Orange thyme, creeping lemon thyme and Caraway thyme all bear pink blooms and stay short (4" or less).

Plant requirements

Creeping thyme herb plants grow best in a soil with an alkaline pH. It is a must that soil be well-drained, too! And far from craving fertilizer, they seem to crave poor soils, like most herb plants. Grow these herb plants in full sun if possible, although they will tolerate a bit of shade.

Zones

Best grown in zones 5-9.

Maintenance

Creeping thyme herb plants grow best in a soil with an alkaline pH. It is a must that soil be well-drained, too! And far from craving fertilizer, they seem to crave poor soils, like most herb plants. Grow these herb plants in full sun if possible, although they will tolerate a bit of shade..

Practical use

May be planted as a ground cover, on stone walls, in rock gardens or between stepper stones in a pathway. It is a mat forming plant that reaches only 1/2 to 1 inch in height, but spreads an impressive 18 inches. It is also a nice addition to herb gardens.

Mostly used…

  • As ground cover for weed control in landscaping
  • As fragrant plants in a landscape devoted to aromas
  • Medicinally
  • Attract butterflies and bees

Landscape Design

Creeping thyme plants generally stay short and can be effective ground covers. Some folks go as far as using them as grass alternatives. A more common use of these herb plants is as a ground cover to fill in the spaces between stepping stones.

Properties

Height
1 - 10 cm
Color
Soil type
Clay, Loam
Sunlight
Full sun, Partial shade
PH
Alkaline
Moisture
Well-drained
Hardiness
Hardy