Lawn alternatives like creeping thyme are becoming more popular every day. The expense and labor of constantly mowing, watering, and fertilizing a turf lawn can feel uninspiring. By contrast, a beautiful carpet of fragrant flowers that invites butterflies and bees into the garden can help you fall in love with your space and make you want to spend more time outdoors. Creeping thyme is a beautiful, low-maintenance alternative groundcover that’s perfect for filling in empty patches or even replacing your lawn. It can create a lush carpet-like lawn that smells great, makes the bees happy, conserves water, helps with erosion, and improves your soil health. Growing it from seed requires some patience and attention, but it can be cost-effective and rewarding for those willing to give it a try. Let’s take a look at this lovely little herb so you can see if it’s right for your yard.
What Is Creeping Thyme?
Let’s start with the basics: Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is a hardy, low-growing perennial herb that loves sunny spots with well-draining soil. Although it is edible, it’s usually grown as an ornamental groundcover. It spreads (or creeps) across the ground in a dense, fragrant mat with tiny leaves and delicate pink, purple, or white flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer. It can handle some light foot traffic and even smells great when stepped on, because the crushed leaves release some of the aromatic oils.
The Benefits of Growing Creeping Thyme
Whether you grow it alone or alongside lawn alternatives, there are many reasons to consider creeping thyme:
- Low maintenance once established - It’s always a relief to skip the time and expense of mowing, watering, and fertilizing.
- Thrives in poor soil conditions - Nutrient-poor sandy, rocky, and loamy soil are all fine, but it must be well-draining. If you have clay-heavy soil, you’ll have more success with growing creeping thyme in a container.
- Drought tolerant - Enjoy some green in your yard, even if you live in a dry climate or need to restrict water use.
- Weed suppression - Its dense mat blocks out unsightly weeds naturally – no herbicides needed.
- Pollinator friendly - Bees and butterflies love the tiny flowers of this pretty little herb.
- Pest-resistance - Although friendly pollinators like it, mosquitos aren’t a fan of creeping thyme. Deer and rabbits will skip eating this one, too.
- Fragrant - The aromatic leaves release a thyme scent when crushed or walked on.
- Erosion control - The root structure can help stabilize soil on slopes and uneven or rocky terrain.
- Foot traffic friendly - Creeping thyme can handle light foot traffic. It’s ideal for pathways and in between stepping stones.
How to Grow Creeping Thyme From Seed
Creeping thyme seeds are very tiny, so be very careful when handling the seed. We recommend starting the seeds indoors, but if you do direct sow make sure you prep your soil carefully. Press the seeds lightly into the soil and do not bury them. Light is necessary for these seeds to germinate. Keep your seeds consistently moist (never wet) by misting them to prevent seeds from washing away. Harden off your seedlings once 2-4 pairs of true leaves appear, and plant in well-draining soil with at least 8 hours of sun a day
Ongoing Care & Troubleshooting Creeping Thyme Issues
We occasionally get some feedback that creeping thyme isn’t germinating or does poorly once established. Here are the most common issues we’ve seen:
- Poor germination - Since creeping thyme needs light to germinate, surface sowing and pressing them into the soil to establish firm contact with the soil without covering them is best.
- Seed loss - When you surface sow very tiny seeds, it’s easy for them to float off if you water overhead. Sometimes it seems like seeds aren’t germinating, but they’ve really been washed away. Try misting and bottom watering to prevent this issue.
- Impatience - You’ll need to give creeping thyme some time. Consistent germination is usually around 14-21 days, but may take up to a month.
- Root rot and leaf yellowing - These occur if creeping thyme is overwatered or placed in poorly-draining soil. Once the plants establish, creeping thyme is highly drought tolerant and requires minimal watering. Only water during prolonged dry spells.
- Sparse growth - If your plant isn’t filling in as you expect, make sure it’s getting at least 6 hours (preferably more) of sunlight and that the soil isn’t overly compacted.
Although it takes some patience to establish a creeping thyme lawn from seed, don’t let that deter you! Remind yourself that all this waiting has some great payoffs. Faster-growing thymes don’t form the tightly-knit root mats that make creeping thyme such a great lawn alternative. It’s also much more cost effective to grow from seed than buying individual plants, so you can cover more area for a fraction of the price.
Creeping Thyme And Other Lawn Alternatives
Mixing creeping thyme with yarrow and chamomile can create a diverse, resilient patchwork of alternative groundcovers that provide a unique look and sensory experience. Yarrow’s feathery foliage stands up to mowing and the pretty clusters of flowers add color. Chamomile offers a soft, fragrant carpet of delicate white flowers. You can also consider adding clover to enrich the soil with its nitrogen-fixing properties and keep your yard looking lush and attractive. By combining these herbs, you can create a low-maintenance lawn alternative that supports pollinators, conserves water, improves your soil, and stays green even in challenging conditions.
Creeping thyme gives back far more than it takes. It’s a low-maintenance, beautiful, and beneficial choice for your space. Whether you’re filling in gaps between stones, adding some beauty to a rock garden, or replacing your entire lawn, creeping thyme is a cost-effective, rewarding choice. Give this beautiful plant a try! Your future self (and the bees) will be glad you did.
