How to Plant and Grow Creeping Thyme
Fragrant and colorful creeping thyme is a low-maintenance groundcover, and it’s even edible.
A close relative of common culinary thyme, creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is a low-growing, mat-forming, perennial plant that is often grown as a groundcover in sunny areas. Easy to maintain and adaptable, creeping thyme plants can accentuate garden walkways or conceal unsightly retaining walls, but these plants also make a fantastic grass alternative for lawns. In addition to tons of ornamental appeal, most creeping thyme varieties are highly fragrant and edible.
Where to Plant Creeping Thyme
Creeping thyme is a versatile plant that can be used in different ways in landscape designs. Creeping thyme is commonly grown as a groundcover and can be planted on hillsides to help control erosion. Creeping thyme looks lovely growing along garden walkways and flower bed borders, and it can thrive in a container garden.
Adaptable and hardy, most varieties of creeping thyme grow perennially in growing USDA Hardiness Zones 4–9, and these plants can tolerate a range of light conditions and soil types. What’s more, creeping thyme plants are deer-resistant, but pollinators love them. Depending on your gardening interests, you can grow creeping thyme as an ornamental or edible or use these plants as a drought-resistant alternative to turf grass.
How and When to Plant Creeping Thyme
Most gardeners grow creeping thyme from nursery plants purchased at local garden centers, but creeping thyme can also be grown from plant divisions, stem cuttings, or seeds.
If you’re growing creeping thyme from nursery starts, put the plants in garden beds in spring after the danger of frost has passed. Creeping thyme plants can grow as individual plants, but they look even more bewitching when planted together as a flowering groundcover or lawn alternative. When growing multiple creeping thyme plants together, space them about 12 inches apart so they have plenty of room to grow.
Creeping Thyme Care Tips
Creeping thyme is a low-maintenance plant that doesn’t require much fuss. Established creeping thyme plants can handle a good deal of foot traffic when planted as a groundcover. However, the plants are more sensitive to wear and tear when the weather is dry. If you’ve ever grown culinary thyme or other Mediterranean herbs, you’ll likely have success with creeping thyme.
Light
Like many other herbs, creeping thyme grows best in full sun; the plants should receive about 6 to 8 hours of bright light daily. Creeping thyme plants can also grow in part shade, but they won’t bloom as prolifically.
Soil and Water
Creeping thyme tolerates a range of soils and can even grow in nutrient-poor earth. However, these plants grow best in well-draining soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5.
As with other Mediterranean herbs, creeping thyme doesn’t like wet feet and can be sensitive to overwatering. However, these plants must be watered regularly, especially in hot weather. For best results, water creeping thyme plants about once every 7 to 10 days, allowing the soil to dry out a bit between waterings.
Temperature and Humidity
Most varieties of creeping thyme are cold-hardy. In hot, dry weather, creeping thyme plants can be delicate, so you might want to reduce foot traffic on creeping thyme plants during the heat of summer.
Fertilizer
Creeping thyme is a light feeder. It usually doesn’t need extra fertilizer if you amend the soil with compost prior to planting. If you want to give your plants an extra boost, fertilize creeping thyme plants with a slow-release, organic fertilizer in spring, following the product instructions.
Pruning and Harvesting
Creeping thyme can become woody as it ages, but you can prevent this by pruning the plants throughout the year. For best results, lightly cut back creeping thyme plants in spring and again after the flowers fade. In autumn, do a more thorough pruning and cut creeping thyme plants back by half to rejuvenate their growth and encourage branching.
To enjoy creeping thyme as an edible, save the prunings and use them fresh or dried in your favorite recipes. If needed, you can also harvest a few stems from the creeping thyme plants throughout the summer growing season. Harvest creeping thyme in the early morning before the sun is high overhead to get the best-flavored herbs.
Potting and Repotting Creeping Thyme
Creeping thyme can grow in containers, but they must have excellent drainage. In addition to using a container with drainage holes, add perlite to good-quality potting soil. The roots and plant expand to the perimeter of the pot in time, so the exact size of the container isn’t critical. If the plant outgrows its container, repot in a container that is 2 inches wider and filled with fresh potting medium, or cut sections with roots and remove them from the container. Plant the removed sections elsewhere or give them to friends.
Related: The 13 Best Potting Soils for Indoor and Outdoor Plants
Pests and Problems
Like other fragrant herbs, creeping thyme is naturally repellant to many garden pests, but it can become woody with age. You can prevent this by pruning the plants at least once a year. These plants also become dry if they don’t receive enough water or if winters are particularly harsh. You may be able to rejuvenate the plant with pruning; however, creeping thyme plants only live about five years, and plants naturally become dried out as they reach the end of their life cycle.
Keeping creeping thyme in soggy soil is a recipe for disaster. If your plants are starting to wither and turn yellow, there’s a good chance they’ve been overwatered and may be developing root rot. Avoid this by keeping the thyme plants in well-draining soil and watering them only when the soil starts to feel dry.
Spider mites are more common when creeping thyme plants are grown indoors, but these pesky insects can also occur on outdoor thyme plants. Spider mites can be easily managed with organic insecticidal soap or neem oil.
Propagating Creeping Thyme
The easiest way to propagate creeping thyme is through plant division. Established plants spread and produce roots wherever they touch the ground. Use a sharp device to cut sections in summer or early fall. Replant them in a prepared bed immediately or pot up small pieces to grow larger before transplanting them to the garden.
Another way to propagate creeping thyme is through stem cuttings. In late summer, use sharp pruners to cut 2-inch sections of semi-ripe stems from a plant. Remove any foliage from the bottom half of the cuttings, dip them in rooting hormone, and insert them into small pots of planting medium. Keep the planting medium moist; the stem should develop roots in about two weeks.
Harvest the dustlike, tiny seeds from an established creeping thyme plant by cutting portions of a stem that contains the dry seed pod and crushing it over a piece of paper in an area with no wind. The seeds need a period of cold stratification before being sown outdoors in late spring when the temperatures are consistently in the high 60s. Don’t cover the seeds with soil. They need sunlight to germinate, whether you sow directly in the garden or give them a head start indoors.
Types of Creeping Thyme
There are several types of creeping thyme, including varieties with pink, purple, or white flowers, and some types grow a little taller than others. The plants are hardy in Zones 4–9 and have similar growing needs.
Common Creeping Thyme
A perfect choice for garden borders and walkways, common creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) produces an abundance of pinkish-purple flowers that are highly attractive to bees and butterflies. This ground-hugging plant rarely grows over 3 inches high and can quickly spread over 12 inches wide.
White Flowering Creeping Thyme
Most varieties of creeping thyme have lavender-colored flowers, but white flowering creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum ‘Albus’) can be a fun choice for moon gardens and ornamental beds. A relatively rare type of creeping thyme, white flowering creeping thyme blooms throughout summer. Plants can stretch up to 5 inches tall when mature.
Elfin Creeping Thyme
A top choice for xeriscape gardens, elfin creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin’) boasts tiny, oval leaves and pinkish-purple flowers. Commonly grown as a groundcover, this creeping thyme variety looks spectacular in containers and grows to only 3 inches tall.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly does creeping thyme spread?
Creeping thyme takes a while to become established, and the plants usually don’t grow much during their first year. However, established plants can spread quickly and stretch 12 to 18 inches wide by their third year.
Can you walk on creeping thyme?
Yes. Creeping thyme is a hardy plant that can serve as a grass alternative, and you can certainly walk on it. However, these plants are more susceptible to damage during hot and dry weather, so limit foot traffic on the plants during summer heat waves.
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