Mother of thyme : september good time for seeding (area 7b)?

Hi Guys!!
I am a beginner gardener here in USA, I am becoming more and more passionate about creating a pollinator habitat...During my first year in my little garden I see literally multiply all the sort of pollinator in my garden...a really rewarding situation!!! Now I got excited and I want to help bee, bunblebee even more...I read about mother of thyme..that could be suitable for my low traffic lawn...In this way my ``boring`` lawn could become a pollinator feast ...
I have just one question...It is September ...do you think I still have time to saw mother of thyme before the end of the season (area 7b) or is way too late and I should start may of next year? If I could saw this year I could have more plant next year to cover my lawn and therefore more happy bee!!!
Thank you very much
Leo

Mother-of-thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is a fantastic plant and much loved by bees. It gets quite tall though - about 10" - and wouldn't be very easily walked through. Maybe you're thinking of shorter species/cultivars though (taxonomically, thymes seem to be a total mess), which would be a great idea.
Here's mother-of-thyme - I think you can get an impression of the height from these:

Here in UK there are several gardeners who have removed their lawns and planted that area with creeping time, it grows to about 3 inches tall and as the name suggests, it creeps as it spreads along the soil, you can cut it with the lawn mower set to the right hight as all you want to do is cut the dead flowers off at season end.
The beauty of this plant is it flowers profusely and as you walk over the Thymus it sends out it's perfume, the bee's absolutely love it as do butterfly's, ladybirds and lot's of other pollinating insects.

I would wait till spring for this work to be done, the soil will be just warming up, you will also need to prepare the soil well also as Thyme plants of any kind are by nature, grown like most European Herbs and that is is very free draining soil where rain never lies for long in the soil, there ir no rich fertilisers present and IF water is required, unlike grass, it is only given sparingly.

Warning about this type of Thymus lawn is the danger posed to children or pets, there is a higher risk of kids and pets being stung when walking on the Thyme lawn as once established, there could be a huge amount of wasps, bee's and other insects that can cause harm to animals and kids, even yourself as stinging insects wont know you laid this lawn to attract them not be be placed in danger, BUT it is a beautiful looking area once the plants get established.
Best Of Luck. WeeNel.

As noted by WeeNel, there will be a large population of insects, including stinging insects visiting any species of Thyme. If there is a regular path you want to walk I would suggest placing stepping stones (flagstone at least 2' diameter) in that path, and use one of the lower growing Thyme. Elfin Thyme is another low one, grows almost flat, great for between stepping stones. It is also slower growing, so it won't grow over the stones so fast.

As for timing, I think you are getting too late to get a good stand before it freezes. Good time to do some soil prep, though.
Get rid of the grass, till in some compost and let the area lie over the winter.
In the spring the compost will be somewhat broken down, and the soil will not be too rich.
Then you can seed it as the weather is warming.

Thank you very much Guys!!
I have a couple of additional questions that I would like to ask you..after my comments.....

First of all thank you very much!!! The comments were incredible useful..thank you for reminding be the stinging probability and the (in)compatibility with pets and children....Fortunately I do not have both and I will not have any anytime soon (may be next life :-) )
I really want to condense and attract as many pollinator as I can...I am particular sensitive to the pollinator vanishing situation and I want to contribute with all my efforts...This year a much more oculate seeding program (zinna, lavender, morning glory, hyacinth vine, marygolds) gave me spectacular result on attracting all the bees...incredibly rewarding...This thyme story will give me the opportunity to do even better!!!
To weelNeel ..I know what you mean....I am European too..I remember during my childhood walking the arid field of south of Italy (salento) and be amazed about this extremely tough and fragrant plant.....

My further questions are...
Question 1:
Ok I got that I cannot seed mother of thyme (creeping thyme, thymus serpyllum) now if not the coming cold will kill my baby plant...
But Do you think this fall , when no chance of germination can occur , I can saw mother of thyme on prepared bed, in the same way as some people do for delphinium, Russian sage and the asclepias ? In this way I would have strong hard plant instead of having (because my low experience) weak plants that barely survive in my attempt of hardening.....

Question 2:
when should I buy the seed for this little project? Make sense buy this fall and keep it ? Or D I run the risk to jeopardize the germination capacity of the seeds?

Hardy plants have hardy seedlings...
You could sow seed directly out in an prepared area.. It kind of depends how much seed you have, since starting it in pots gives mor control from seeds blowing away, washing away, etc..
Thyme seed is not ephemeral so it doesn't matter too much when you buy it and start it.

Other than buying plug plants,(very small germinated seedling) there is no fast way to make a lawn area unless your prepared for the plants to grow and mature over a few years and depending on the strain of thyme you select, the plants become woody and fall open from the middle after about 3-4 years so be prepared to start all over again making a new lawn,

The next fastest way to go is to buy several plants of your choice, take them home and start taking cuttings from the and insert into a nice compost with half mixed with horticultural sand and some added small gravel too, this mix will allow for good drainage, you could pop 6-8 small cuttings about 6-8 inches long, remove several bottom leaves, dip the cutting into rooting powder and tap off the excess powder, use a pencil to make a hole in soil mix in the pot and insert the small cuttings around the outer edge of the pot, water the cuttings and sit in a bright BUT NOT direct sunlight, they shoud root anything between 6-8 weeks, repot into small individual pots ofthe same size, dont over water and just enough to keep the rooted cutting alive, come mid-late summer you should have bushy enough plants to set out in the garden.
So from one plant, (make sure it is the low growing or creeping type) you could get anything between 30 - 40 cuttings, thats easier than waiting for seedss to germinate, then grow on and 2 years later they are large enough to plant out.
Look at labels for the hight, spread and go by these measurements when planning how many plants you will need for the area you wish to cover.

Hope this gives you more ideas to consider.
Best regards. WeeNel.

I agree with WeeNel: If you have a bright indoor location you could get a lot of cuttings going through the winter, and have a better chance of them establishing themselves in time to be planted out next spring. However, if you want to go with seed, that will take longer. But you have all winter... get started soon so they have a long time to grow.

As long as you are trying to encourage the pollinators, and stinging insects are not a problem, then GO FOR IT! Thyme (many species) make really nice ground covers, though not actually a walk-on lawn.

You might think about using other species in the garden, too. Do you have any rocks? Thyme is great for growing in between rocks in a wall, or just in a pile.