I have an area of about twelve feet around.....it has mostly sandy soil and a picnic table that sits in it. I have red bricks around it and a green off-set umbrella, which lets in sun on the edges and keeps it shady in the middle....I am looking for a ground cover we can walk on, which led me to herbs.......I would like to have something that could spread quickly, but doesnt spread too far....I was hoping for some suggestions for the area....Thank you very much......houseplntjunkie :-)
I need a little advice
Creeping Thyme and English Chamomile are both supposed to be able to take some foot traffic, although I haven't walked on mine much. I've also heard that mazus reptans will tolerate being walked on, and it makes a nice dense mat of foliage also.
I just took this pic of some creeping thyme (seed grown, so don't know the variety, but flavor & leaf shape are like English thyme) that I planted last year by the edge of my patio... just half a dozen little "plugs" of it together with some phlox subulata, and I think it looks great!
The creeping thymes are fun because they come in so many varieties... you can get an interesting mix of textures & colors with different types. Here's 'Translucent Golden Thyme', which I've had in the past along my front walk planted alternately with deep green 'Caraway Thyme' for a fun patchwork look.
(Yes, phlox subulata again!)
I have lemon thyme, "creeping" thyme and mother of thyme (T. serpyllum) planted around my rock paths. the mother of thyme seems to take the traffic best, and spreads far and wide.. It is growing in both sun and shade and likes it on the dry side.
I have unnamed creeping thyme that gets walked on all the time and gets hot sun, horrible humidity and lots of water. I take out the old parts from underneath once in a while, especially in the spring. I planted it six years ago to cover path edges and between flagstones. I don't have a picture, but it sure is pretty and green. I love the scent when I walk on it or am working near it.
thank you all.....I havent been on the computer a whole lot lately and for some reason theres green stuff popping up all over the place outside........LOL......I need more daylight.......LOL I have already mowed the lawn twice!!
I concur with the notes towards "some kind of thyme" -- there's even a local herb propagator who does sixpacks of low-growing ground covers that don't mind being walked on, and there are defeintely a couple of thymes in that "series" of theirs! (a low-growing English Chamomile is another, and a low little tiny mint that reminded me almost of baby's tears in size, but overwhelmed me with scent before we got very far around the nursery with it and I put it back).
I adore thyme in its many forms, for its cheerful resiliancy, and its culinary offerings, not to mention its wise place in folk tunes (ahem).
Great pics critter! Are mints perennial up there? Now they are pretty invasive down here.
Debbie
RuTemple might be referring to "Stepables," a group of plants that can be used for ground covers. Website is http://www.stepables.com/index.htm. Our local Ace Hardware nursery carried these last year (I didn't see them there until midsummer, though) and they looked like good quality plants. I don't recall how much each pot cost, but I remember thinking they were a bit on the pricey side considering how many I needed.
The Stepables website has a questionnaire you can fill in (re things like how much the plant will be walked on, how sunny or shady the site is, how tall you want the ground cover to be, what color you want, etc.) that helps you select an appropriate ground cover for your situation. I think I'll end up using this to find some ideas, and then try to find the plants for a cheaper price elsewhere (probably in a flat). :-)
Edited to say: Just saw that RuTemple was referring to a propagator in Redwood City area, so it wasn't Stepables (Stepables is in Oregon).
This message was edited Apr 30, 2006 9:10 PM
This message was edited Apr 30, 2006 9:11 PM
I would recommend that you try several different plants that you like. If you interplant, you can see which do well. If any die off then you still will have some plants to fill in....
Sorry, Debbie -- forgot to "watch" this thread -- yes, mints are perennial up here, but they vary in their invasiveness. One of my favorites is 'Kentucky Colonel' Spearmint... while it does spread all through the bed, the roots seem shallow enough that it doesn't compete in a thuggish way with other plants in the bed, so it makes a nice ground cover with a scent that I love and that bunnies do not, LOL.
While the cost of individual little pots of herbs would certainly add up quickly if you're trying to do a large area, don't forget that most of these plants propagate rapidly. I like to buy one pot of creeping thyme and grow it in a window box planter for a few months, encouraging the new growth to "layer" into the potting mix (it may help to sprinkle a little mix on top of the stems here & there or to pin parts of the stems down with little rocks or wires).... when the planter is full, I divide up the thyme into several large, nicely rooted divisions and plant out where I want it. I don't have as high a success rate just planting a 2 inch plug out in the wild blue yonder, mostly because I don't pamper it enough while it's getting established.
Also, you might check out the prices for ground cover plants at Bluestone Perennials.... they generally send small, vigorous plants that are priced very reasonably... check them out in the Watchdog. They have a list of groundcovers that are tolerant of foot traffic, http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/scan/MM=42439682b02c21756e0dd1e2d0125588:0:23:24.html?mv_more_ip=1&mv_nextpage=results_hlist&pf=sql&listid=WALKON&listname=Foot%20Traffic%20Tolerant&mv_arg=
RU, were you thinking of Corsician Mint?
Great idea, Critterologist! I always lose some plants due to my sink or swim methods- plants in the ground are pretty much on their own after the first couple of weeks. Layering into a planter is just so smart!
Herbs may be tough enough to survive dry, poor soil.... but they sure do like to grow in a pot of moist potting mix! And I always seem to have old plastic windowbox planters around, since they're easy to find at garage sales.
:-)