It’s about thyme
Imagine carpeting a sunny area in your yard with a
groundcover that is as tough and reliable as grass but requires far less
maintenance, covers itself in flowers and smells heavenly. I’m describing a
carpet of thyme. Thyme is a sun-loving herb that likes well-drained soil (not
clay). You can even walk on it, so it does well between flagstones in paths and
patios.
This delightful herb is
hardy to Zone 4 (you can grow it almost everywhere in the United States) and it
comes in many different varieties. I like to combine them so that when one
variety stops blooming, another begins. And there are as many different scents
as there are flower colors (which, by the way, include white, pink and purple).
Leaf colors and growth habits also vary, so you can create a patchwork of
contrasting colors, textures and shapes.
Creeping thyme
is a quick grower and tough as nails, with pretty pink flowers.
Woolly thyme is
a ground-hugging plant with fuzzy gray leaves and deep purple flowers.
Lemon thyme has
a lemony fragrance and flavor.
Caraway thyme
tastes like caraway. Check with your local nursery for the varieties that grow
best in your region. Space plants 6 in. apart in weed-free, well-tilled
soil.
Click Image to enlarge.
Click Image to enlarge.
GARDENING REMINDER
Hold the tomatoes!
If you tend to be impatient for that first red, ripe
tomato, don’t make the mistake of planting your tomatoes in the garden too
early. While those extra days of spring sunshine won’t necessarily harm your
seedlings (unless there’s an unexpected cold snap), they won’t accelerate their
development either. Keep your seedlings indoors until daytime temperatures
reach above 70 degrees F at least half the
time.
Make a hoop greenhouse
This inexpensive greenhouse extends your growing season.
Use it to protect seedlings and get an earlier start in the spring. And it’ll
keep your tender potted plants going longer in the
fall.
To make a 4 x 8-ft. hoop house, buy a 10 x 25-ft. sheet
of 4-mil plastic ($5) and nine 10-ft. lengths of 1/2-in. PVC pipe ($1 each;
inset
photo) from a
home center.
Photos 1 – 3
show you how to build and use it. Choose a level spot with lots of sunlight and
use the dimensions shown in
Photo
1.
Once you use the third
pipe in each group to clamp the plastic in place (Photo 2), your
hoop house is ready to use. It dismantles in minutes for winter
storage.
Tip
If the ground is hard or gravelly, wedge open the holes
by driving a short length of PVC pipe into the ground with a mallet or
hammer.
Click Image to enlarge.
1 MARK the perimeter of your hoop house with
twine and stakes. Following our pattern, push one end of each PVC pipe 6 to 8
in. into the ground, bend the pipe gently, and push the other end 6 to 8 in.
into the ground as well. Place the pipes in pairs spaced about 6 in.
apart.
2 LAY the plastic sheet over the hoops. You can
anchor extra material at the ends with heavy rocks. Then push a third pipe into
the ground halfway between each pair.
Click Image to enlarge.
3 SET your seedlings inside the house. Simply
slide the plastic up or down for access and to control airflow and
heat.
Cheesecloth mulch
Protect a newly seeded small lawn or bare spot from
hungry birds by laying strips of cheesecloth over the seedbed and securing the
corners with small stakes. (Buy cheesecloth at hardware stores and home
centers.) It holds the seed and soil in place during waterings and hard rains,
especially on slopes. The cheesecloth also warns the kids to keep off your new
grass. The grass grows through the cloth, which will disappear under the
thickening grass and eventually decompose (inset
photo).
Click Image to enlarge.
Seedlings on the half shell
You don’t have to buy seedling pots this spring. Instead,
make your own from eggshells, using the egg carton as a tray. Next time you use
eggs, carefully crack them in half, rinse out the egg residue, then poke a
drainage hole in the bottom of each half shell with a sharp scissors or ice
pick. Fill the shells with a light-weight, sterile potting mix formulated for
seed starting, and sow the seeds. When the seedlings are ready for
transplanting, gently crush the eggshell with your fingers and plant them,
eggshell and all. The shell will improve your soil as it
decomposes.
Click Image to enlarge.
Sun-map your yard
Marigolds
love sunlight and impatiens don’t. So prevent expensive planting mistakes by
creating a detailed record of when and where sunlight falls in your yard over
the course of a summer day. Your sun map will show you where there’s too much
shade for certain plants and too much sun for others.
It’s the best way to ensure that you’ll have happy,
healthy plants—and a great-looking garden.
Here’s how: Draw a diagram of your yard on graph paper
and make a half-dozen copies. Then plot out the pattern of sunlight on one
sheet, beginning about 8 a.m. Every two hours throughout the day, record the
pattern on a different sheet.
Refer to this map when you plan your gardens to make sure
your plant selections have adequate sunlight. (For extra-sensitive plants, keep
in mind that the sun pattern changes somewhat as the growing season
progresses.)
Click Image to enlarge.
Recycled stepping stones
About to dispose of leftover wall or floor tiles? I use
mine as colorful, attractive garden stepping stones. You can group several
small tiles together, or place large tiles in a row to make a path. Don’t be
shy about mixing different styles. And don’t hesitate to use tiles that have
been chipped. They’ll sink into the dirt and nobody will know the difference!
Note: Use tiles
with dull finishes if you plan to walk on them. Other “found” objects that
could be recycled as stepping-stones: broken ceramic pots, bricks and
cobble-stones, discarded cement work, dishware and wrought iron or ceramic
trivets.
Art Direction • BECKY
PFLUGER
Illustration • KEN
CLUBB
Photography • MIKE
KRIVIT
