A beautiful lawn is a miraculous thing , but they do take a lot of expense and effort . There are a lot of cost , such as fuel for lawnmowers , fertilizers , and pesticide . These plants also need a lot of piddle . Instead of a traditional lawn , clover , crawl thyme , and artificial turf are three easy and blue - care options . What are the differences ? .
If you ’re take care to modernize your traditional pot lawn into something more eco - friendly , low sustentation , and pollinator friendly , a trefoil and creeping thyme lawn may be the perfect solvent . This flowering lawn combo offer a gorgeous , succulent rug of green clover studded with fragrant , ticklish thyme blooms that bees and butterfly flock to . Read on to learn everything you need to know about converting to and caring for a trefoil and creeping thyme lawn .
An Overview of Clover and Creeping Thyme Lawns
Clover and creeping thyme make an ideal brace for shew a flowering lawn The low - growing , nitrogen - doctor clovers allow an attractive green backcloth and weed - gag groundcover Intermingled is the herbaceous creeping thyme which offer elegantly trailing stems bedecked in purple - pink blossoms .
There are a few type of trefoil suitable for lawns , let in :
For fawn thyme , common thyme ( Thymus serpyllum ) is the best option . Together , clover and thyme create a lenient , profuse carpet that replaces H2O - athirst forage .
benefit of clover / thyme lawns :
Once established , trefoil and thyme lawns are lower maintenance than traditional lawn . But the appendage of converting an existing lawn does take some patience and work Here ’s how to make the switch
Removing Existing Grass and Preparing for New Seeds
Converting a regular skunk lawn to a clover and thyme lawn will take 1 - 2 grow season . Here are the basic step :
Kill off subsist grass Non - chemical methods like solarizing with black tarps during summer or repeated sheet of paper mulching with composition board are effectual Herbicide is fast but can give residue
Loosen soil : De - thatch , aerate , and rake up debris to make seminal fluid - to - soil contact lens . Level any spotty areas .
Add compost:1/4 to 1/2 inch of fine compost improves prolificacy , moisture retention , and beneficial microbe .
Plant trefoil / thyme seeds : The idealistic clock time is outflow or fall . Mix seeded player and broadcast equally , then water mildly day by day .
uphold meadow maintenance : Mow existing grass down to 2 - 3 inches to countenance the newfangled seedling to establish . take away weeds as needed .
lease the clover and thyme flourish!Once established , mow occasionally . Your flowering lawn will thrive with minimal care .
Clover and Creeping Thyme Varieties for Lawns
Choosing the right trefoil and thyme varieties ensures you ’ll have a lush , blossom rug orient to your mood and pauperization :
White Dutch Clover – Best for full Sunday . Provides the most vigorous ground cover and most abundant blooms . Mow more frequently to define flush chaff top .
Micro Clover – Lower growing and less florescence . splendid choice for funny lawns . Soft , fine grain . handgrip foot dealings well .
Crimson Clover – Gorgeous red blooms in cool conditions . Prefers full sun . Annual / biennial in some zones so reseeds itself .
Creeping Thyme – adorable purple - garden pink salad days . Tolerates wanton foot dealings . Does well in Sunday and scant shade . Appropriate for sandlike , rocky , and loam grime types .
Mixed Seed Kits – Convenient all - in - one solution contain blank and micro trefoil plus cower thyme seeds perfectly proportion to demonstrate a flowering lawn .
Match trefoil and thyme motley to your specific growing conditions for optimal results . look into if the specie are perennial in your hardiness zone before purchasing seeded player .
Planting Clover and Creeping Thyme Seeds
immix seeds with gumption to dispense evenly . cum are very midget !
Broadcast seeds by hand or use a drib or rotary spreader for enceinte lawn .
Aim for1 oz eachof clover and thyme seeds per250 sq ftof lawn . conform rates based on lawn weather .
Gently water come day by day until first leaves appear . Keep top 1 inch of grime moist but not impregnate .
Mow existing grass down to 2 - 3 inch after planting come and proceed pout at this altitude .
Clover and thyme seedlings are modest and tiresome turn at first . Be patient ! Germination takes 10 - 30 daytime .
Caring for a Thriving Clover and Creeping Thyme Lawn
Once your trefoil and thyme lawn is in full established , follow these lead to keep it looking lucullan and healthy :
Water profoundly 1 - 2 multiplication per weekduring dry periods to keep land systematically moist but not soggy .
Mow regularly at 2 - 3 inchesto encourage disperse and warn flowering stalk . permit soil reseed .
employ annual topdressings of compostto enrich soil biological science , body structure , and nutrients .
Weed by handas needed . Do not employ herbicides which can harm clovers and thyme .
Overseed unornamented patcheswith additional seeds to sustain thick coverage .
nullify inordinate understructure trafficwhich can damage the low - arise plants , especially when wet .
Your unfolding lawn will thrive with proper mowing , occasional lacrimation , topdressing , overseeding , and paw weed . No fertilizer should be involve thanks to the clover ’s nitrogen - make abilities . Sit back and savour watching the bees merrily buzzing about !
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Despite the best care , here are some potential problem and solutions :
Poor sprouting : Reseed at double potency . Ensure ordered wet . Scarify seeds with sandpaper .
Weak coverage : supervise simple areas . Topdress with compost . Check dirt pH scale – trefoil opt slightly acidic .
Flowers disappear : Mow less frequently and at a high pinnacle to admit bloom stalks to form .
Weeds invade : Hand root for smoke before they go to seed . Solarize lawn in summertime to kill skunk seeds .
Die out : sustain clovers and thyme are recurrent in your zone . Mulch in wintertime for cold protection .
Moss make grow : collateral sunlight and excessive moisture induce moss . Improve drainage . Rake vigorously to remove moss growth .
Adjust maintenance practices as need to resolve upshot and produce idealistic growing conditions . Be patient – it may take a full produce time of year or two to establish a thick , lush blossoming lawn .
Why Choose a Clover and Thyme Lawn?
Traditional lawns ask huge inputs of water , plant food , pesticides , fuel for mop , and sentence spent on maintenance . There are so many benefits to converting your lawn to a trefoil and thyme paradise instead including :
keep open water – clovers and thyme are drouth patient of once established
decimate chemical fertilizers – clovers fix N from the air
Attract bees , butterfly , and pollinators with abundant efflorescence
Soften stain , prevent overflow , and reduce corroding
Tolerate foundation dealings and pet activity better than Gunter Wilhelm Grass
Stay greener in shade and cool atmospheric condition
few weed thanks to clover ’s dense humble growth
Less mowing and sustentation postulate
Creeping Thyme or Clover
Creeping thymeandCloverare both terra firma covering works that are easy to grow .
Clover grow very fast in any precondition . There are many assortment ; be sure to choose a species that is not incursive . It blooms in spring and summer , in direct sun or partial shade , and it appeal bee . There aremany benefitsto a clover lawn including the fact that it stays gullible with less water and well covers a large area .
pussyfoot thyme grows more tardily and it is not invasive . Most people who want to change their lawn choose between mouse thyme and clover because they produce at different rate . Clover will choke out the creeping thyme . Creeping thyme is prosperous to originate , and it also blooms , likes full Lord’s Day , and pull pollinators . you could tell creeping thyme from other form of thyme because it get on the ground like a cover .
grime drainage is important for both plants , but they can both tolerate poor soil . There is no motivation to fertilize or endeavor to improve the soil . In fact , trefoil meliorate the soilas it brings its own atomic number 7 .
What aboutartificial turf ? Think of this as outside carpet ! It may be expensive to install to begin with , but once it is there , it is there . It requires no mowing , no watering , no alimentation , and can last a retentive clip – in some case , 25 years or more . It will hold open water and reduce waste .
All of these options have pros and cons that you should think about . However , they are all beautiful , easy to care for , and offer unparalleled landscape gardening ideas . When multitude talk about alternatives to forage lawns , they mean lawns that wo n’t catch on fire , need a lot less water , and look just as overnice as grass .
You have options ! So , explore them all .
This story is bring to you by Great West Media Content Studio . It is not written by and does not of necessity reflect the perspective of the editorial faculty .
How to Grow a THYME LAWN
FAQ
Can you shuffle clover and thyme ?
What are the downsides of creeping thyme ?
What can you plant with creeping thyme ?
Is creep thyme trefoil ?
Can you embed clover with thyme ?
It ’s not recommend to plant trefoil with Thyme as it tends to grow faster and choke it out . So , if you conceive it is time to shift your lawn terra firma cover , there are many intellect to pick out a pussyfoot thyme lawn for your ground cover . you may choose one colour or have your lawn in different colors .
Is creeping thyme a unspoilt option to grass ?
On drouth - prostrate , innocent - drain soil , lawn forage turns brown when under tension . In these conditions a creeping thyme lawn is a beautiful , low - alimony and nature - friendly option to a supergrass lawn , as long as it beseem your garden use .
Does Clover shoot down cringe thyme ?
As I explained before , the outgrowth speeds are dissimilar and clover will kill creep thyme . If you want something to get with trefoil , try orchard grass , fescue , or rye whisky grasses . They are the best companions to plant with clover . When you ’re grow two or more plants together , make indisputable they have similar growth rates and conditions .
Will Clover choke out creeping thyme ?
Yes . Clover will exit out creeping thyme and sometimes even grass . Most varieties of clover include white clover are dissipated growers . They are study invasive in most countries in the world . White clover in fussy is list as invasive in the United States . crawl thyme however is not invasive nor a immobile grower .
