Creeping thyme · Cluster
How to Plant and Care for a Creeping Thyme Lawn
Sowing, spacing, watering, mowing — and the mistake that kills it.
Pet-safe: the ASPCA lists common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) as non-toxic, while creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is not separately listed.
In this cluster
- Zones: 4–9
- Sources: university extension only
- Height: 2–3 in mat
Start with the job, not the name. Thyme’s common names are genuinely unreliable — see Mother of Thyme vs Wild Thyme vs Breckland Thyme, where two extension services disagree about what you are even buying.
Where to start
Walking on it? → Pavers & paths
Choosing a variety? → Varieties
Ready to sow? → How to plant and Seed rates
The thyme range
Buy by cultivar, not by common name.
The flagship is ThymeWalk red creeping thyme. For paving joints, the smallest is ElfWalk elfin thyme. For a white flower, WhiteWalk. To trial several, the variety collection.
Creeping Thyme pillar →Cluster index; every page below carries its own university-extension sources.
Explore the full How to Plant and Care for a Creeping Thyme Lawn library
How-to guides
- Creeping Thyme Not Spreading: Why, and What to Do
- Creeping Thyme Spacing: How Far Apart to Plant
- Creeping Thyme Turning Brown or Woody: Diagnosis
- Creeping Thyme in Winter: What to Expect and What to Do
- Do You Fertilise Creeping Thyme?
- Do You Mow a Creeping Thyme Lawn?
- Does Creeping Thyme Choke Out Weeds?
- How to Plant a Creeping Thyme Lawn from Seed
- Is Creeping Thyme Invasive? What the Records Actually Say
- Watering Creeping Thyme: The Mistake That Kills It
- Weeding a Creeping Thyme Lawn Without Killing It