Rich in nectar, they attract butterflies. Blooming profusely from early to mid-summer, it features clusters of tiny, lavender-pink flowers. Elfin doesn’t mind being walked on and likes to trail over walls, as in the photo, where it’s planted in feather-rock mountains. Primarily used as a ground cover, Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin’ (Creeping Thyme) is a dwarf, aromatic sub-shrub forming a tight cushion of tiny, rounded, gray-green leaves. When they are finished, spent flowers go away to leave the groundcover in its previous, low, almost glossy green flatness. In late spring the blue-green leaves will be covered with tiny lavender-pink blooms. Push divisions into bare spots to easily multiply the greenery. If planted out of the range of feet, it can be. While only tolerant of occasional foot traffic, it lets off a faint but beautiful aroma when stepped on. Growing thyme amongst your stepping stones is a great choice. Zoysia grows deep roots, making it sturdy and long-lasting. Great for warm, dry climates, Zoysia grass is a perfect drought-tolerant ground cover option. Creeping Thyme is a soft evergreen perennial ground cover with forms a dense mat with clusters. Great for attracting pollinators, and adding anattractive splash of color to any landscape. This tiny-leafed plant is a perfect ground cover variety, and can tolerate poor soils. Tip: If you catch pet urine quickly after it happens on the lawn, water it down to decrease the intensity of the brown spot. Specifically formulated for Canadian climates, McKenziewildflowers are easy to grow and require little or nomaintenance. The plant is tidy and can be easily maintained either pull out branches that try to jump the tracks or shear them back in a line, parallel to the rails. In rock gardens, wooly thyme reigns supreme. Ideally, Elfin thyme thrives in full sun to part shade, but give it too much shade and the little branches will stretch and billow up like waves on a stormy sea. This pruning encourages vigorous, young growth in the spring. In late fall, after the first frost, prune the leggiest, woodiest stems by half. Prune again after the flowers die back, usually by the end of summer. Branches or blankets of loose straw over the thyme in winter will keep help to it from drying if the snow goes away. Prune back creeping thyme stems in the early spring to prepare the plant for the growing season ahead. It’s about “thyme” this rugged, low groundcover got a mention here in the “Plant portraits.” We have to list it as a Zone 4-9 plant but many railway gardeners in Zones 3 and 10 have had good luck with it, too. Elfin thyme deserves its status as practically everyone’s favorite scale lawn or meadow.
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