![]() However, while some gardeners consider white clover to be a weed, it’s the latest solution to the Sad Sod Situation I’ve shared in the past. Yes, there’s also white clover mixed in too, which is my fault. When it does, it’s difficult to remove just the weed, so inevitably, some sprigs of thyme are pulled in the mix. The single deep root sends shoots that spread up to a few feet in diameter. The bigger challenge: As you walk along the garden paths, it’s not easy to see until suddenly it’s huge because it’s taken over the delicate thyme planted in that space. You see, it’s a flat weed that starts under the thyme plants. In addition to the typical crabgrass, it seems the ideal impostor weed has been the spotted spurge. Her time out there beats mine by 2:1! The challenge has been the infiltration of weeds with the thyme. Over the 10 days, my mother and I have spent a combined 25+ hours weeding the various beds and paths throughout the garden. (Or perhaps I’m just noticing more weeds since attending a weeding seminar with Roger Swain at the Nashua Public Library earlier this year?!) We usually see this trend later in the summer, so attribute the abundance of midsummer weeds to the ‘extreme drought’ our region experienced in 2016. This year, the weeds have emerged during this transition period and have been more prolific than ever. The purple and pink colors across the garden fade as the green, orange and red plants take over. It’s at that point on the calendar when the garden truly transitions from spring to summer. The flowers on the thyme bloom from late May until early July in our Nashua, NH garden. We’ve also learned that while Woolly Thyme adds texture and a lighter, almost silvery color among the blue stone, it doesn’t last as long as the regular creeping thyme. While we’ve planted various colors of thyme – purple, white, and hot pink over the years, the thyme with purple blossoms is the hardiest and has outlived other colors over the years. In late May, the thyme produces flowers bringing the stone to life, adding extra color to the late spring garden and creating patterns of purple and green in the spaces where the stones almost meet. It spreads between the spaces of the stones, emitting a soft herbal fragrance when people and pets walk along the paths. The spaces between the blue stone are perfect for planting Creeping Thyme. It’s been easy to know we’re in late July because it’s time to weed the thyme.Ī few years ago, we replaced bark mulched paths in the garden with blue stone. Nervously casting his glance about the room, he sheepishly replied, “Um, sometimes I pee over there, where you picked it.Once again, a calendar is not needed when paying attention to the garden. “Have you added those leaves to the sauce yet?!” I hadn’t, and asked him why he was so interested. He nodded thoughtfully and went back to tossing the ball, and I headed for the kitchen.Ībout 3½ minutes later, he bulleted into the house and straight to the stove. Observing me, my son asked, “Mom, are you going to use that in our dinner?” I confirmed that was my plan. Intending to toss it into a sauce I was making, I snipped some oregano from an area near the kids’ basketball goal. Now, mind that you don’t encounter the situation I did with my young son. With luck, you’re already planning which fragrant herbs you’ll install in which areas of your garden. “When you brush up against it with your ankles, it releases a beautiful scent,” she says. The Austin Herb Society’s Judith Craft loves to put some of the more delicate varieties of oregano along a footpath. ‘Betty Rollins’ ( Origanum marjorana ‘Betty Rollins’) grows to a height of 6” and creeping oregano ( Origanum vulgare ‘Humile’) quickly spreads to form a dense mat less than 3” tall. An herbal superstar renowned for its must-have flavor in pizza and pasta sauces, some varieties of oregano also make a durable ground cover.
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