Happy Thyme

With more hot, dry weather still ahead, we are replacing some of our flowers or part of our lawns with less thirsty plants. Here's some advice for our area.

Water-wise suggestions from Southern Gardens include this tip: for a dry garden, look for foliage that has gray or silvery leaves. Tiny hairs on the leaves and stems reduce the need for added water. Succulent plants like yuccas, sedum, and agaves are examples. Ornamental grasses are also recommended.

Another reference I looked at was Best Garden Plants for North Carolina. There weren't special listings for "drought-resistant" plants. In browsing, however, I found an herb collection. Herbs, they said, all like well-drained soil. "Well-drained" was in bold. In case you might have too much water, they advise grading the bed so that rainfall will run off.

I can do well-drained. In fact, one of the herbs I found described was a great friend of mine -- thyme. It's a bright green mass, about 3 to 4 inches tall. It tolerates being ignored, winters over, and looks great in the heat. It fills in to make a thick mat and does not travel too fast. At left is a view from the top, this photo from VeggieHarvest.com. I have received so many compliments about how lush it looks, while the flowers beside it droop, that I decided to find out more about it.

There are over 400 varieties of thyme. They don't need much watering or care, and don't do well in soil that is too rich. Creeping thyme plants, like mine, are low growing and don't require mowing, so they are very suitable for ground covers. This plant is often placed between the stones or bricks in garden paths. Ed Hume Seeds gives us many reasons why creeping thyme, Thymus serpyllum, is one of their favorite plants. First, it is low maintenance and can take a lot of abuse. It can even be walked on. I don't think I would want to walk on their pretty example, in the photo at right. But I can see it as a lovely edging in my garden.