groundcover
Creeping thyme
Thymus serpyllum
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Creeping thyme is a semi-evergreen groundcover hardy in zones 4–9. Expect 2–4 in of height and 1–1.5 ft of spread; our lists space it 1 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part sun with little water once established. Expect purple and pink flowers in June to July. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the edge role: a low plant that finishes the front edge. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Thymus serpyllum
- Plant type
- Groundcover, semi evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 4 to 9
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Sharp drainage; rots in wet clay. Takes light foot traffic.
- Mature size
- 2–4 in tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Jun–Jul · purple and pink
- Roles in a bed
- Edge
- Styles
- cottage, low water, modern
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. ASPCA lists thyme (Thymus vulgaris) non-toxic to dogs and cats; creeping thyme is the same genus.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 4-inch pot, typically $4–$7 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week for the first 6-8 weeks, then every 10-14 days in dry spells through the first summer; after that only in long droughts.
- Pruning
- Shear lightly after flowering to keep the mat dense.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; state extension service fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings; state extension service; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States; state noxious weed and invasive plant lists; US garden-centre and home-improvement retail listings (general knowledge, 2026 estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6 (as a substitute)
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 7 (as a substitute)
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 7
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Creeping thyme, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger'Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger'shrub · zones 2–7
- Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red'Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'perennial · zones 3–8
- Meadow sage 'May Night'Salvia nemorosa 'May Night'perennial · zones 4–8
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam'Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'perennial · zones 3–9
- Catmint 'Walker's Low'Nepeta × faassenii 'Walker's Low'perennial · zones 3–8
- Blue fescue 'Elijah Blue'Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'ornamental grass · zones 4–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Creeping thyme: same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants