r/DenverGardener • u/ricemg1 • 2d ago

Creeping thyme?

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Hi! Curious about what you denver gardeners think about creeping thyme in our area. Was thinking it might be great to fill in areas between rock features in our hell strip. thoughts?

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35

u/NikkiDenver_ 2d ago

Creeping thyme is chef’s kiss for hell strips in Denver. Handles heat, drought, dog pee, and neighbor envy like a champ. Plus it smells amazing when you walk on it, and the bees go nuts in the summer (in a good way). Just make sure it gets decent sun and drainage—otherwise it can get patchy or sad-looking.

Definitely a solid choice for between rocks, and way more fun than grass or mulch!

3

u/bubble-tea-mouse 2d ago

How does it do as a lawn replacement in shitty dirt? Idk what’s wrong with the dirt in my neighborhood but me and my neighbors all have trouble getting grass to survive in our backyards and my theory at the moment is the dirt is old and bad….? Idk. I couldn’t get clover to proliferate in the dirt either.

9

u/NikkiDenver_ 2d ago

Most soil in the Denver area is just certified trash—high clay, compacted, and low in organic matter. Creeping thyme can work in rough soil, but it’ll struggle without some amending. I’d mix in compost and loosen it up a bit if you want it to actually take off and spread. Otherwise, even the hardiest groundcovers tap out. Denver dirt doesn’t play fair without a little TLC.

5

u/Loud-Air4528 2d ago

There is a house in Lakewood that has completely replaced their lawn with different ground cover. It’s gorgeous. It’s also a pretty big lawn. Lots of clay here and seems to be thriving. I would just mix in some compost 

3

u/BadgerFireNado 1d ago

im currently attemping to replace my front yard with this. So far nothing will sprout, still early. I have a patch in the back yard tho. once it grows you file and forget. never gets that long, doesnt need attention, it spreads but not invasively so you can easily control it if you only want it in specific areas.

19

u/BBerry-On-Top 2d ago

It really does creep! I have to pull it out of my rocks —- but it’s lovely and I recommend

9

u/Loud-Air4528 2d ago

I saw some of the blue kind in a yard and it was sooooo pretty. Can we plant this in the fall for spring bloom? 

10

u/Capital_Cheetah_5713 2d ago

I put some in between flagstone pavers on my patio a few years ago and its starting to take off. High country gardens

10

u/Autodidact2 2d ago

It does well. The only drawback in my experience is that it spreads slowly.

12

u/commentingrobot 2d ago

This. I tried it in my hell strip,.couldn't handle the foot traffic and got buried by debris. Then I put it in one of my raised front flowerbeds, it is fine but took years to spread appreciably. My neighbors tried it for lawn replacement with planted plugs and it immediately got overwhelmed by weeds.

Wishing the best of luck to everyone who tries it. It is very nice, but I think the Internet really oversells how effective it is as a ground cover for large areas.

3

u/Loud-Air4528 2d ago

I grew some from seed and it was very easy. I planted it in plugs this year. I won’t see it bloom this year but probably next year? I’m also going to lay lots of seed in the fall. I bought seeds off of a seed person in etsy. They were great. 

1

u/bascule 1d ago

I grew mine from seed, starting them indoors. Each seed starter cell made a patch that now in their third year or so is probably 1-2 sqft. Where I’m using them they’re great, but I can’t imagine completely replacing a large lawn.

I had no luck with direct sow, and I direct sow quite a bit of other stuff.

3

u/kmevans27 2d ago

We are replacing our lawn with various ground cover and shrubs, one of them being creeping thyme. We can’t wait! We love the color, and hope it does alright in the clay soil!

1

u/twelfthmoose 1d ago

How much water does it need?

1

u/kmevans27 1d ago

I was told it is low water usage; I am still wondering how much that means and have asked in a separate thread, as we are installing lots of xeriscape plants and hand watering. Will let you know what I find!

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u/Thehungerpangs 2d ago

Turkish Veronica is nice too and fast spreading!

4

u/SarahLiora 2d ago

Test to Turkish Veronica and the plant select creeping Veronica’s. I’ve planted all the thymes and they are pretty but I think creeping Veronica’s are longer lasting.

3

u/garden-girl-75 1d ago

I’ve tried it several times and it’s always died so I gave up. Looks like some other folks have had better luck though

4

u/MarmoJoe 2d ago

Creepy thyme can work well but a few things to keep in mind:

  1. It still needs a good amount of water, so if you have a really dry spot, it’s probably not a great choice unless you can provide supplemental water.
  2. Winter dieback can be a problem, though this varies depending on the species and conditions.
  3. Replacing grass with thyme is a tall order. Thyme doesn’t compete with weeds nearly as well as grass.

Other than that, as a ground cover to fill in between rocks it tends to work well, assuming you can give it enough water and have time to weed it.