Elfin Creeping Thyme

Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-8b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Groundcover

Height or Length at Maturity: 1-2″

Width at Maturity: 1-2′ or more
Spacing: 12-18″ for mass planting; 6-12″ apart to fill gaps between stepping stones or pavers

Growth Habit / Form: Low, Mat-Forming, Dense, Spreading/Trailing

Growth Rate: Moderate

Flower Color: Violet-Lavender
Flower Type: Single

Flower Size: Small
Flowering Period: Summer, Early Fall

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Greyish Blue-Green

Fragrant Foliage: Yes

Berries: No

Sun Needs: Full Sun, Morning Sun with Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Afternoon Sun

Water Needs: Average

Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sand, Silt

Soil Drainage: Well Drained

Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.0

Maintenance / Care: Low

Attracts: Visual Attention, Butterflies

Resistances: Deer, Disease, Heat, Humidity, Insect, Foot Traffic

Description

‘Elfin’ is one of the best and our favorite of the creeping thymes. It forms dense, 1 to 2 inch high mats of tiny glossy leaves and equally tiny violet-lavender flowers. What the flowers lack in size they make up for in number when covering the fragrant grayish blue-green foliage in summer. This little creeping thyme is a tough one; quite tolerant of foot traffic, is drought and heat tolerant and deer and rabbit resistant. All these fine attributes make Elfin Thyme a fine selection where a ground-hugging perennial groundcover or filler plant is needed.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing in a very low and spreading carpet to only 1 to 2 inches tall and 24 inches or more wide over time, Elfin Creeping Thyme is perfect for use to fill the gaps between stepping stones and pavers or as a groundcover or underplanting for shrubs, roses, perennials and small trees, such as Japanese maples. Very nice around and growing over boulders. Flowering bulbs will pop right through it in spring. Also serves nicely as a soil cover in container gardens grown above ground. A fine addition to rock gardens, purple theme gardens, cottage gardens, Asian theme gardens, and the Xeriscape (low water needs).

Tip: When planting between closely spaced stepping stones or pavers the root ball of some creeping thymes can be divided so as to fit in to the smaller gaps. Just make sure plants have rooted across the soil surface in the pot. If there is only a single stem with branches do not try to divide the plant!

Suggested Spacing: 12 to 18 inches for mass planting; 6 to 12 inches apart to fill gaps between stepping stones or pavers

How To Measure Total Square Feet Of A Planting Area

How Many Plants Needed To Cover A Planting Area?

Growing Preferences

When planted right and in the right spot, Elfin Thyme is easy to grow. It grows best in light, lightly moist to dry well-drained soil and full sun. A little shade is okay. Will tolerate rainy periods but constantly soggy or wet soil is a killer. So make sure to plant in a well-drained site.

Note: Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tabs above on desktop monitors and below on mobile phones.

Plant Long & Prosper!

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I cant comment on how my thyme is doing because I received it only yesterday. What I find EXTREMELY impressive, is that I received a phone call (yes, I did say phone) telling me that the weather impacted the most recent crop and could I wait a month for the new crop to be ready to ship. That is customer service ….and goes a long way toward getting a repeat customer. ———————– WBG Reply: Hi Alyse – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Elfin Creeping Thyme and we hope you enjoy it for years to come. We do business the old-fashioned way, which means we call our customers if and when there’s a problem with plants that are scheduled to be shipped. We want our customers to have the best plants as possible. If we wouldn’t plant something in our own gardens we won’t ship it! Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

Love them. They came quickly. Packed really well. In great shape. Spencer was terrific to work with. I would buy all my plants from you if I lived closer. ———- WBG REPLY: High Holly – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide us and future visitors to Wilson Bros Gardens with your review. All of us at Wilson Bros Gardens can’t help but agree, Spencer has been with us for 7 years…he’s a great guy – one of the most calm, cool, collected, humble and friendly persons I’ve ever met…and a great friend of mine! It an honor to work with him. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent Wilson | Wilson Bros Gardens