How to Plant a Thyme Lawn

We have found thyme lawns to be most attractive in smaller, more intimate areas where the edges can be interplanted with taller plants.

Thymus serpyllum 'Coccineum'
Item # 95575 		Thymus serpyllum 'Coccineum'
Red Compact Mother-of-Thyme

each $5.29
3 to 6 $4.99
7 or more $4.79
Thymus lanuginosus
Item # 95540 		Thymus lanuginosus
Woolly Thyme

each $5.29
3 to 6 $4.99
7 or more $4.79
Thymus serpyllum 'Albus'
Item # 95570 		Thymus serpyllum 'Albus'
White Creeping Thyme

each $5.29
3 to 6 $4.99
7 or more $4.79
  • Topic: Specific Planting Techniques
  • Author: Mary Ann Walz
  • Keywords: thyme lawn, Specific Planting Techniques, lawns, thymes, thyme lawns
  • Date: June 2005

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Prepare the soil thoroughly (as recommended on p. 82) to a depth of 6 inches. If replacing a grass lawn with thyme, be very sure the grass is dead—roots and all!

Plants should be spaced 12”-15” apart in a grid pattern. Plugs may be planted closer for faster fill-in. Expect coverage in 4 to 5 months, depending on soil preparation, weather and care.

Thyme lawns are best suited to smaller areas of up to a few hundred square feet because of higher maintenance considerations. Just as importantly, we have found thyme lawns to be most attractive in smaller, more intimate areas like courtyards and patios where the edges can be interplanted with taller growing perennials and ornamental shrubs. Buffalo or Blue Grama grasses are best suited for covering large expanses in your yard. For difficult, poor-soil areas on exposed slopes, more vigorous and aggressive ground covers like Vinca major and Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ and Genista lydia (p. 61) are recommended instead of creeping thymes.

Thyme lawns tolerate moderate foot traffic but aren’t suitable for a kids’ play area. For walkways across the lawn use stepping stones to avoid wearing a path through the plants.

The best varieties for use in a thyme lawn are ‘Pink Chintz’, ‘Reiter’, ‘Woolly’, ‘Coccineum’, ‘Ohme Garden Carpet’ and ‘Albus’. To vary the bloom times and leaf textures, different varieties can be intermingled. Eventually 1 or 2 varieties may predominate.

In milder climates (Zones 7 to 9) a thyme lawn will generally be evergreen.

The water needs of a thyme lawn are substantially less than that of a bluegrass lawn, particularly with proper soil preparation to promote deep root growth. In areas with dry, sunny winters, winter watering (Dec.-March) every 2-4 weeks is recommended.

With your thyme order, you will receive our more detailed Planting/Care Instructions for Thyme Lawns.

Replace patches of Your Thirsty Turf with Ground Covers

Ground covers can be used to create colorful low-maintenance spaces where once there was only turf. One variety of ground cover, like ‘Pink Chintz’ Creeping Thyme, can be used to cover an area (see photo above), or patches of different plants can be intermingled. Don’t overlook the beauty of ground cover Speedwells (Veronica) and hardy Ice Plant (Delosperma) for larger areas.