Woolly Thyme

Woolly Thyme, Thymus pseudolanuginosus, is a low creeping thyme grown almost exclusively as an ornamental groundcover for its dense, fuzzy, silvery gray foliage. The tiny leaves are covered in fine soft hairs that give the plant a woolly, velvety texture and a soft silver-green color, forming a flat mat only 1 to 3 inches tall that spreads slowly over the ground. It is excellent softening the edges of paths, filling gaps between stones, and cascading over rocks and walls. Unlike culinary thymes it is only lightly aromatic and is not grown for flavor, and it flowers sparsely with small pale pink blooms. Hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8, it demands full sun and excellent drainage and resents wet conditions, which can cause it to rot. It is propagated by division or cuttings and prized purely for its unique woolly texture.