It also needs a little fertilizer every spring to keep its bright color. It stands up to heat but needs a little watering during prolonged dry spells.
They are often sold as houseplants, but can also make wonderful little plants to grow within pavers.
#Pavers and elfin thyme ground cover full#
Dwarf mondo grass – Dwarf mondo grass is a good choice for full or partial shade, and it is one of the few plants you can grow near black walnuts.It bounces back after short periods of dry weather, but you’ll need to water it if the dry weather lasts very long. You can plant it in the sun, where it grows flat, or in the shade where it forms little hills.
It grows only an inch or 2 (2.5-5 cm.) tall, and you’ll enjoy its pleasant fragrance. Elfin thyme – Elfin thyme is a miniature version of creeping thyme.Just cut it to fit and lay it where you want it to grow. Only a couple of inches (5 cm.) tall, it doesn’t create an obstruction. Irish moss – Irish moss adds soft, spongy texture to paths in shady areas.Using plants that spread to fill the space around them make growing plants between pavers easier. Choose short plants that won’t obstruct your path, and plants that are suited to the current light exposure. Look for plants that are tough so you don’t have to tiptoe around them. When using groundcovers around pavers, you want them to meet several criteria. Wondering what to plant? This article can help. Then pull the soil at the bottom of each cell off - this is especially important if the roots are wound around as these will never break out of that shape by themselves.Using plants between pavers softens the look of your pathway or patio and keeps weeds from filling in bare spaces. Estimate how many plugs you have, and space them out so you have enough coverage. If you have plugs, where every little plant has its own cell, that makes it easier to get a more even look. Quite often, that little bit of soil is enough to keep them going until they can establish a root system, usually by burrowing underneath the pavers where there's a bit of moisture. The soil that they're planted in can be mostly removed, or in the case of wet soil, simply molded around the roots to give them a bit of a reserve of moisture. If your thyme shows up in the form of larger plants in four inch pots or even large chunks set in a flat, these can be well watered the night before, then carefully pulled or cut apart into manageable pieces.
#Pavers and elfin thyme ground cover windows#
Keep in mind that thyme has a few windows of opportunity for planting and transplanting - the ideal time is in June or earlier, when the ground is warm but there's some rain in the forecast, with dull days.īrilliant sunshine is great for established plants, but young ones don't like it much. There are several options, and luckily, thyme is a really easy going plant and will thrive no matter what, as long as you follow these tips.