Woolly Thymenon-native

Field guide

Woolly thyme is a flat, creeping evergreen groundcover thyme, 1–3 in. tall and spreading to 12–18 in., grown for its dense mat of fuzzy gray-green woolly foliage rather than its sparse-to-absent pale-pink flowers. Native to southern Europe, it demands full sun and sharp drainage in lean, neutral-to-alkaline soil and rots in wet or clay soils. It tolerates drought, light foot traffic, salt and urban pollution and resists deer and rabbits, ideal between pavers, in crevices and as a small-scale lawn alternative. Unlike culinary thyme it is not aromatic or edible.

Gardener's notes

Woolly thyme is all about that soft, silvery carpet—plant it between your stepping stones or over a gravelly slope in full sun. The one way to kill it is wet, heavy soil, so work in grit on clay and never overwater. Don’t expect much flower or fragrance; it’s a texture plant.

Ecology

• Pollinators: bees, butterflies when flowering (minor — sparse bloom)

Care this season

• Pruning: ensure drainage (amend clay with grit); shear to maintain
• Watch for: rots in wet or clay soils; not culinary or fragrant like other thymes

Sources

• Thymus pseudolanuginosus — NC State Extension
• Woolly thyme — High Country Gardens