Creeping thyme lawn

I’m interested in this too Luckygirl.

It is a good idea and practically after it is created maintenance free. I have a patch of rough ground under bushes it needs digging over. I am considering getting some creeping thyme as ground cover.

I love the plant. I have an area where I can’t plant anything because of the Jasmin roots. But creeping thyme seems to have come from nowhere and solved the problem

I have a creeping Jenny “lawn” quite by accident as it wasn’t a lawn just a piece of unused ground hence the reason I ve put lawn in inverted commas it just arrived I didn’t plant it and it has spreeeeaaaad

www.finegardening.com/article/low-maintenance-alternatives-to-lawns

I found this article - they too mention creeping Jenny.

www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/8-plants-that-are-not-grass-to-use-for-low-maintenance-lawns/

And another ...

That’s lovely Bluebelle. Really beautiful.

Imagine the wonderful scent when you walked on it!
Who else remembers the tv adaptation of The Camomile Lawn way back in time.
That could be another idea.

I have planted some creeping thyme around the Bodach’s gravestone, as the grass doesn’t go near it. I haven’t checked on it for a couple of weeks, so hoping the hot spell didn’t do for them. The seeds were microscopic, so may only cover one corner at first!

Thanks GSM it lasts bright yellow for ages but obviously doesnt smell like a thyme lawn would

My creeping thyme (not in a lawn) smells wonderful but gets woody and straggly and has to be cut back from time to time (haha). I prefer your solution Bluebelle.

annsixty

Imagine the wonderful scent when you walked on it!
Who else remembers the tv adaptation of The Camomile Lawn way back in time.
That could be another idea.

My friend had a Camomile lawn, it was stunning.

Buck House has a chamomile lawn; the King is said to have a thyme lawn, with dozens of different types, at Highgrove…

My small front lawn looks fine in the spring with miniature daffodils, grape hyacinths, crocus etc and violets have spread over most of it but the rest of the year it looks awful with hardly any grass but a lot of weeds. I can’t dig too much out for fear of disturbing bulbs but I do like the sound of some of these alternative lawns. What would be best for ground cover that would still allow the spring flowers and violets to grow or am I expecting too much?

Well I m biased but allsorts grow within my creeping Jenny they seem to all get on well together

Beechnut

I’m interested in this too Luckygirl.

... and me! My dogs have decimated my lawn in places and need to have some idea of how to sort it? My only idea so far is 'grass mats'.

The thing to remember with any of the alternative lawn options is that they won't be as tough as grass. If you want a patch to look at its fine. You can occasionally walk on it but using it as you would use a lawn will kill it. They certainly won't survive dogs or kids or any combination of same. They will also need trimming and weeding and won't like being mowed or strimmed. @Juliet27 have a look at periwinkle (vinca). Its pretty much evergreen with glossy leaves and flowers that range from pink through white to blue. leaf size varies, I think the smaller leaved varieties look better. its a creeper and very good at stifling many weeds (not all) and is shallow rooted which means its easy to pull out where not wanted. Bulbs will happily push their way up through the leaves.

Yes,I’ve done it with creeping red thyme. I only put it in a year ago and it’s doubled in size.

I went for clover under the tree and in the patches where my girly dog has wee'd
The bees are loving it
I also leave my daisies as I love them. They get mown occasionally.
Might have a go at thyme in some more patches xxx

I was considered planting ox-eye daisy in the wilder parts of my garden but now I'm wondering about Erigeron Karvinskianus Profusion (which has several different synomyms) and flowers for longer, from May to October at least.
It self-seeds but in my experience has been easy enough to pull out. It wouldn't be a low growing flat lawn but the stems are soft so would not break off completely if you walk on them which I think could be a problem with some more woody thyme stems. Crocus.com says "This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring" which means that you shouldn't get old patches with long bare stems. As it self-seeds it would thicken up over time.
It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit and you can grow it from seed or buy plants. Small bulbs should not have any trouble pushing up through the growth.

I have both. The oxeye daisies are much taller and have been beautiful this year but will be cut down tomorrow as they are now a complete mess. The erigeron will happily carry on flowering for several months.

Yes, I remember The Chamomile Lawn! I've wanted one ever since - or thyme, or clover - but I've been told they don't do well in the North and wouldn't survive grandchildren. But I like the look of Creeping Jenny, BlueBell and I like the sound of vinca, GreenLady, thank you.

Photo:
www.gardeningdirect.co.uk/item-p-480453/erigeron-karvinskianus-profusion-mexican-fleabane

Germanshepherdsmum

I have both. The oxeye daisies are much taller and have been beautiful this year but will be cut down tomorrow as they are now a complete mess. The erigeron will happily carry on flowering for several months.

Yes, it's the shorter flowering time which puts me off the oxeye daisies slightly, though the flowers are pure and perfect. I think a solid patch of the Erigeron would be lovely, though I'd have to weed the area very carefully first. I've only had it growing in old stone paving and on steps before, but haven't found it invasive.
I've always loved daisies, the larger types seem to work well with so many other flowers.