Karen- Lamium "Chequers", "Anne Greenaway" and "Pink Pewter" have pink flowers. Dianthus is a good choice. It fills out but doesn't spread a lot. I usually divide it into smaller pieces and space closer together for a mat effect. I have carpet phlox and it seems to require full sun.

Your garden sounds lovely, I hope you will post some photos in the future.
-Sprout

thanks Sprout! I am in a newer home so my flowers are all new I see only the shortcomings but others comment all the time how nice my flowers look. Maybe I will get the courage to post a picture someday.

Thanks for the suggestions I am off to look up all the plants you mentioned. My phlox is in full sun but it never bloomed. I hope it is just sleeping since it is a brand new plant :)
Karen

Carpet phlox blooms in the spring (April-early May) here in zone 7, along with our cottage pinks, Dutch irises, tulips, daffodils and bluebells. Once it's finished, my summer perennials grow up around it and it's a nice green mat the rest of the year.

So, if you planted it in the summer, maybe it will bloom for you next spring about the time of tulips in your zone. If it's healthy and green and in full sun, I think it will be fine next year.

Cameron

I see you already have wooley thyme - don't you just love the smell! Why don't you try the red creeping thyme? I have both varieties and about a week after my wooley thyme is done blooming, the red creeping thyme blooms (more purple, not lavendar like the wooley). My carpet phlox bloomed in the spring and I don't think it will again this year. Did you plant it this spring? Maybe it takes a full season first. I planted mine last fall and the lady at the nursery told me to cut them back in a few weeks. I did to most of them, but I wanted to do a test and guess what? the ones I cut back died! Maybe they can take the cutting back better after they're more established. It was so sad because the ones that did bloom were so beautiful. But it looks like they've really spread a lot.

thanks, I planted in late may so that makes sense that I did not see any blooms on my phlox. I will see what happens next year.

I do love the thyme. I have to trim some of it cause it grows over my stepping stones. the smell is great.

I will look for red thyme. since I already know woolly grows well here adding more thyme might be a good idea. some of the other low growing mosses (step-able plants) did not come back that I planted last year :( but the woolly thyme came back very healthy.

Karen

I threw some alyssum seed out last winter to fill in a bare spot till a nearby lavender gets larger. It's been going great guns ever since. I'm amazed that it doesn't seem to mind the heat.

It's been spreading slowly--possibly reseeding. Mine is less than a foot high and blooms off and on in white, but I think there's a pink type, too.

I'll try to remember to post a photo when I get home tonight.

Hey, I just found another ground cover with pink flowers for you Karen. They are sucluents I think, but they are low growing with cute pink daisy-like flowers. My neighbor has them and she said they spread quickly. They are called ice plants I think. I have seen them in yellow and pink. Also, Elfin Thyme has a nice pink/purple flower on it, and though it takes a year to really take off, it's very nice and stepable.

Suculents not sucluents - sorry, guess I should preview before I post. :)

What about feverfew? The flowers are small but really stand out and last a long time. I was given a little sprig of Golden Feverfew late last summer and i was surprised to find it was evergreen in my zone 6 garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: Feverfew

wow, such great suggestions, thanks everyone! I will look into Alyssum and succulents and feverfew. I like them all :)

I also have a spot by my driveway that has mostly rocks under the soil so it might be hard to grow stuff but the elfin thyme might like the good drainage and all day sun there.

Karen

Karen - I think the elfin thyme would work really well there.
Gflut - I've never seen feverfew before - I love those pictures and I am definitely going to look for some! Thanks!

I will need to find some elfin thyme now :)
I too want to see the fever few. I did a search and it looks interesting

Karen

I generally use a low creeping thyme or Ice Plant for that purpose. A creeping veronica would also be good. Look for a tight, matt forming perennial which will keep weeds at bay a little better than looser-formed plants.

I am now on a creeping thyme hunt.... I loved the picture of the thyme garden someone posted in the creeping thyme thread. I might have to try that myself. I have a spot that is perfect for it!

thanks everyone for all the great ideas.
Karen