A thyme lawn

might just be the most wonderful thing to ever happen to your garden. Not only is a thyme lawn lovely to look at, it will also require much less water and care than grass.

No more mowing, fertilizing, thatching and watering. Green all year round, and the added bonus of a solid month or two of bloom during the summer, attracting pollinators from miles around.

Important things to keep in mind if you're thinking of starting a thyme lawn are:

Initial preparation of the area you want to plant can be a hurdle. You will need to remove all the existing vegetation such as perennial weeds and any grass.

You can do this by planning ahead and covering the whole area with black plastic, cardboard or multiple sheets of newspaper covered with straw (not hay, as you'll just re-introduce more weed seeds) or sawdust. The most mportant concept to remember is that you want to cut off all light to the weeds and/or grass below.

Be patient, as this can take two seasons to completely kill off the top growth, and longer still if you don't get all the roots.

Adding drainage to your area is crucial if the soil drains slowly, such as clay soil. I recommend adding small gravel such as pea gravel or graded sand to the area then roter tilling it in to a depth of between two and six inches. Rake this out, then you're ready to plant your thyme plugs.

To calculate how many plugs you'll need, measure the area you want to plant, multiply length x width. To plant 30cm apart, this will give you the number of plugs to order. To plant 20cm apart, add about a third again. Most varieties do well at the closer spacing, especially for projects that will be used for light foot traffic. In two or three seasons, the plugs will meet and mingle to completely cover the ground.

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go to Thyme List page

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go to It's about Thyme page for more information