Succulent Plant Identification | Succulent Sphere | Containers for Succulents
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It's about Thyme!
...and there's never enough Thyme
There's never enough thyme - what a great little plant for all sorts of garden uses aside from the culinary one.
One of the best drought tolerant groundcovers for xeric
gardens, thyme is hardy, adaptable and beautiful, as well as low
maintenance.
I grow many different kinds of thyme in my xeric garden - some are flat, not above three centimeters (an inch or so) tall, including the flower.
These creeping red thyme varieties are perfect for patio planting and between paving stones in walkways.
Others are more like a little shrub, and can be used for making tiny hedges in a miniature landscape or herb knot gardens.
Draping a rock wall with thyme is a perfect way to soften the landscape and make it appear more established and romantic. What would a mediterranean garden be without thyme?
All the thyme species and varieties drought tolerant, needing only minimal watering once established.
Never plant thyme under eaves where they'll get dripped on or have ice form on them as this usually does them in. In the same vein, never use salt based de-icers on your thyme.
Soil preparation is key to how to grow thyme successfully as it loves a fast draining soil. It can withstand a lot of drought, making it a perfect choice for a thyme lawn which not only uses much less water and fertilizer than the average grass lawn, it doesn't require mowing - ever.
You may want to take off the dead flower heads once the thyme plants finish blooming, but that's the only care they need.
You can't play football or other boisterous games on it, but croquet or other gentle use is fine. Put a couple of chairs and a table on your thyme lawn, enjoy the scent of the plants warmed by the sun (as of course, you will plant your thyme lawn in full sun!).
Plant thyme amongst pavers to give your patio an aged look.
Stone steps obscured by a lush carpet of thyme invites visitors to explore further, possibly to a herb garden placed on a sunny knoll with a rustic stone seat (or a stool cushioned with thyme) surrounded by more scented herbs.
How delightful that would be, if you could sit quietly and listen to the bees in the lavender, lamb's ears and yes, thyme blooms.
Thyme List
Thyme List Text Only to print
How to Grow Thyme
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Xeriscaping - Landscaping with Less Water
Gardening with a Light Hand on the Land
The focus is on landscaping with
easy care drought tolerant plants like Sedum, Sempervivum and thyme and using natural materials
to build
rock retaining walls and it's easy to see why;
Thyme lawns or steps are drought resistant and tough enough for any environmental challenges.
It used to be that once in a while these kinds of plants would come to the fore, and successfully maneuver dry summers, but now it's obvious that these are the most suited to what is becoming the norm.
Courtyard landscaping, flower garden plans and landscaping with rocks give your front yard landscape a distinct ambiance.
Interested in learning how to build a patio? See this page for patio design ideas.
Whichever way you slice it, dry gardens, xeriscaping and
water conservation are here to stay.
Seeing how beautiful these unique landscapes are and how well they perform in challenging conditions will encourage others to find unique plants to use in their own xeric garden.
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