Thyme Magic Carpet

Magic Carpet Thyme (Thymus serpyllum 'Magic Carpet') is a creeping thyme that hugs the ground at about 10cm high and spreads to around 60cm, releasing its scent with every step. It takes light foot traffic, which makes it the classic choice for planting between pavers and stepping stones, and in the warmer months the mat disappears under small pink flowers that bees and butterflies work all day.

Why you'll love it

• A groundcover you can walk on. Light foot traffic is fine, so it turns paths, paver joints and stepping stone gaps into living, fragrant seams.
• Scent built in. The foliage releases a clean thyme fragrance when brushed or trodden, and the leaves are edible.
• Pink flowers for the pollinators. The massed display feeds bees and butterflies for weeks.
• Tough where it counts. Frost hardy, heat tolerant and happy in poor, dry soil once established.
• Safe around pets. It is considered non toxic to cats and dogs.

Where it works best

Between pavers and stepping stones. Tuck plants into the gaps and let the mat knit across the joints. This is the use it was made for.

Groundcover and lawn alternatives. Plant 30cm apart for a dense fragrant carpet over open beds and verges that only see feet occasionally.

Rockeries, slopes and wall tops. It drapes over rock edges and retaining walls, binding the surface and softening hard lines.

Borders and pots. Use it as a spiller at the front of a bed or over a container edge, where the scent sits at hand height.

Growing Magic Carpet Thyme in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, the more the better. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean climates and shrugs off frost. In the humid subtropics the mat tends to thin and rot through wet summers, so treat it as a cool season plant there or choose a different groundcover.

Soil. Free draining is the only rule. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils are genuinely fine; rich, damp ground grows a soft mat that dies out in patches.

Water and feed. Water in the first few weeks while it roots down, then only in extended dry heat. Skip the fertiliser; lean conditions keep the growth tight and aromatic.

Pruning. Shear lightly after flowering to remove spent heads and keep the carpet dense. That is the whole maintenance calendar.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Magic Carpet Thyme two ways: a 330mm plant tile, an established mat that can be laid whole or cut into sections for instant cover, and 140mm pots in packs of 10, which plant roughly a square metre at 30cm spacing. Both travel well and establish quickly in warm weather, with runners knitting outward within weeks. Orders are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare options in our guide to the top plants for ground cover.
• See more instant coverage in plant tiles.
• Browse the full groundcover collection.
• Explore other edible plants.

Common questions

Can you really walk on it?

Yes, in moderation. It handles the light, regular traffic of a garden path or paver joints and springs back readily. It is not a play lawn, so route daily thoroughfares and ball games elsewhere.

Is it the same as cooking thyme?

It is a true thyme and the leaves are edible, though milder and finer than the common culinary species. Most gardeners grow it for fragrance and flowers and keep a bush thyme for the kitchen.

How far apart should I plant it?

30cm apart for a dense carpet, which a pack of 10 covers about a square metre of. At that spacing plants knit together within a season in a sunny spot.

Why did my thyme thin out over summer?

Humidity and damp soil are the usual causes, especially in subtropical wet seasons. Improve drainage, thin overhanging plants to restore sun, and shear after flowering to thicken the mat again.