What is woolly thyme?
Woolly Thyme is a superb low care groundcover thyme with fuzzy gray foliage and vigorous spreading stems that root as they spread across the soil. It rarely flowers. An ideal crack filler between flagstone and pavers. Drought resistant/drought tolerant plant (xeric). Now shipping to zones 2-5. Other zones shipping soon. Learn More…
How do you grow woolly thyme?
There are plants you just want to touch, and a woolly thyme plant (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) is one of them. Woolly thyme is a perennial herb, with medicinal and culinary uses in addition to ornamental use. Try growing woolly thyme in the cracks between paving stones, along a gravel path, or as part of a xeriscape or drought-tolerant garden.
How do you get creeping thyme to spread?
Consistent watering with good soil drainage provides a healthy environment for spreading vigor. If you create a proper growing habitat, your creeping thyme's spreading speed contributes to successful pollination and seed development. Any seeds that drop nearby increase your spread without more stem growth from the mother plant.
Woolly Thyme Plant Information
Thyme is one of the more hardy herbs perfect for hot, sunny locations. Once established, it tolerates dry conditions and spreads slowly, eventually creating a thick mat of foliage. Tiny leaves on woolly thyme ground cover are green and often edged with gray to silver.
Growing Woolly Thyme
Thyme is a member of the mint family and as tenacious and sturdy as other members of the group, so when planting woolly thyme, put it in an area where the spread is desirable. Woolly thyme plants can be easily started from seed indoors, or from small plugs that are readily available at your local nursery.
Woolly Thyme Care
Once established, woolly thyme is drought resistant and care is minimal when plants are grown in soil with the right drainage. Woolly thyme ground cover may become snack food for aphids and spider mites. Protect it with frequent spraying of an organic horticultural soap.
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Woolly Thyme is a relatively slow grower, which makes things easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But what exactly does this mean for your Woolly Thyme? How large a pot should you consider, how tall, how wide can it get? Let’s jump in…
Water
In terms of watering, the Woolly Thyme is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Woolly Thyme in soil with well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Woolly Thyme prefers to have soil with good drainage, occasionally dry, and very dry properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand, chalk, and loam.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Woolly Thyme requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Season
Being a herbaceous plant, the Woolly Thyme will die back to the ground every year.
Spreading Habit
Each creeping thyme cultivar has different stem lengths between leaf clusters. These stem lengths largely determine spreading speed because stem growth is much faster than leaf development.
Sunlight
Small leaves across the stem segments need a full sunlight location to adequately photosynthesize. Creeping thyme relies on this energy production for spreading speed and successful flowering. If you have a shady area, such as from an overgrown tree, creeping thyme responds with poor flowering and reduced spreading.
Soil Moisture
Your creeping thyme's spreading speed slows considerably if the surrounding soil remains too wet. Preferably, your soil needs to have a well-draining consistency, such as a sand-based type. Any clay soils that hold too much moisture tend to increase rot along the stems that touch the ground.
Pollinator Attraction
If you create a proper growing habitat, your creeping thyme's spreading speed contributes to successful pollination and seed development. Any seeds that drop nearby increase your spread without more stem growth from the mother plant.
