Hi Lorna, I have creeping thyme and wooly thyme. The regular creeping time does much better for me and spreads really fast. I started with one 4 inch pot years ago and have given tons away and have had to chop back lots over the years. The wooly thyme spreads much slower and I don't find it as pretty when it flowers. I have it planted around the edge of my side perennial bed. And yes there is lavender munstead planted with it. This is a very pretty combination....but both don't bloom at the same time. I started lavender munstead from seed years ago. It has a speratic germination. Some pop up a lot faster than others....you just have to wait it out. This particular lavender, does not survive moving.....so if you are sprinkling seed right in the garden make sure that is where you want it. Also I found that this lavender dies out after several years and will need to be replaced. I don't know if it is the same with other lavenders or not. Sierra

-reginaz, your garden is amazing!! I have missed seeing it. So inspirational. I have a couple of thymes. Regular green, a variegated lemon, and a couple of silver thymes I got on sale at HD for $1. Next year I am going to plant the silver thyme next to a purple leafed Salvia officinalis, might be an interesting combo. Next year I might make a little herb garden. If I do I plan to buy more thyme. Orange scented, large flowered, and Wooly thyme (looks like schoolhouses) are on my to get list. I find that Thyme needs sharp drainage here, since the winters are wet. The ones that live the longest here are the ones that are planted in a gravel-y area next to the driveway. PDN says a good substitute for thyme in southern gardens is Herniaria glabra 'Sea Foam'. It looks just like thyme, but doesn't have culinary value or scent. CMK

Older plants tend to die out in the center where the branches are oldest. When they grow, they tend to spread and this spreading makes them larger around. Lots of rain can cause problems, but because they are very mature they will probably show signs of age near the center too. Mine is just on its second year with tiny pink flowers and has not had that problem yet. Its located right next to a side of my glass greenhouse where rain will wash down exactly in that same spot where its planted. Let it grow, or try and dig up a small portiion of it and move to a better draining area. I would leave most of the plant where it is just to see if the move of a smaller part of it survives and grows elsewhere.

Stunning thyme scape. Thanks to vine and me for your suggestions. You have not only given me a couple of ideas, but also courage. I had such bad luck with lily-of-the-valley years ago that I became gun shy about ground covers. It lined a very long drive when we moved in. It was less than pretty--such sameness. I dug it all up only to find that every single little piece of root sprouted a new plant the next spring. Early spring, that year I spent on the ground, hand sifting the entire strip garden, removing every bit of the white root. Thankfully, it was white and easily spotted. Then we moved in here and more LOTV--what's with the love for this stuff in long narrow garden beds? It choked out my gorgeous huge delphinium--thought it might be able to hold its own. I've never been able to grow another like it. Veggie gardener FIL visited and I told him I was going to remove it. The next thing I knew I found him out there, all the LOTV pulled and him just turning the ground. I know he was trying to be helpful, so I just thanked him, but guess what I did as soon as he left--another day on the ground. I have seen Crown Vetch completely swallow a garden. I've heard horror stories of 'Silver Beacon," golden lysmachia and creeping Jenny. I had golden lysmachia in pots last year and thought I was OK, but my first walk around the garden this spring, here it was already with 5" growth in the ground where the pot had sat. I suspect it touched down and rooted, but I suppose it could have seeded. However, I think I would have seen more in that case. I quickly pulled it and haven't seen it since, unless it is lurking some unknown place (see, I've become absolutely paranoid about groundcovers)--I had it in a lot of pots-it's such a wonderful contrast. More suggestions and thoughts about groud covers, please. gramma jan