Creeping thyme is a low-growing plant often used as an alternative to traditional turfgrass. The question of whether this groundcover is comfortable to walk on is often posed by those seeking a softer landscape solution. The direct answer is that yes, a properly selected and well-maintained patch of creeping thyme provides a surprisingly soft and aromatically pleasant surface for moderate foot traffic. This desirable characteristic depends entirely on understanding the plant’s physical structure and ensuring its growth habits align with walkability.
The Truth About Walkability
Creeping thyme achieves its softness and durability through the formation of a dense, interwoven mat of prostrate stems and foliage. This tight growth habit allows the plant to distribute weight across a wide area, preventing individual stems from being easily crushed when stepped upon. The physical sensation differs from that of turfgrass; while grass offers a spongy feel, thyme provides a firmer, yet springy texture underfoot.
When the groundcover is healthy and receiving adequate sunlight, the stems remain herbaceous and flexible rather than developing a woody structure. This flexibility allows the foliage to compress and quickly rebound after pressure is applied. This inherent resilience means that thyme can tolerate regular, moderate use, making it suitable for pathways or sitting areas.
While the plant can handle people walking or resting on it, it lacks the tensile strength to withstand continuous, abrasive stress. Activities such as playing sports, continuous running, or heavy furniture placement will eventually break the structural integrity of the dense mat, leading to exposed soil patches. The plant’s ability to quickly recover from compression is the measure of its walkability.
Choosing the Best Varieties for Foot Traffic
Not all creeping thymes are equally suited for high-traffic areas, making cultivar selection paramount to achieving the desired soft and durable surface. Thymus pseudolanuginosus, known as Woolly Thyme, is often cited as the best option because its leaves are covered in fine, soft hairs, which impart the highest degree of tactile softness. This variety naturally maintains a very low profile, which further enhances its resistance to damage from foot traffic.
For situations requiring the most compact growth and highest density, Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin’ is an excellent choice. This miniature cultivar forms extremely tight, cushion-like mounds that actively resist weed encroachment and maintain a high degree of structural integrity even under regular pressure. A variety offering a dependable balance of broad coverage and foot traffic tolerance is Thymus serpyllum ‘Coccineus’, or Red Creeping Thyme.
These prostrate, mat-forming varieties contrast sharply with upright or shrub-like thymes, such as Thymus vulgaris. Upright species possess taller, woodier stems that would easily snap and feel rough when walked on, rendering them unsuitable for groundcover use. Selecting a cultivar with a confirmed prostrate growth habit is necessary to ensure the softness and resilience required for a walkable lawn alternative.
Maintaining a Dense Thyme Groundcover
Achieving and maintaining a soft, walkable surface requires specific cultural practices that encourage the thyme mat to remain dense and low to the ground. Creeping thyme thrives in conditions that promote compact, tight growth, specifically requiring full sun exposure and soil with sharp drainage. Growth that appears leggy or sparse, often the result of too much shade or chronically wet soil, produces weak stems that easily break under foot traffic, significantly reducing the groundcover’s integrity.
Overwatering should be avoided once the thyme is established, as the plant is highly drought-tolerant. Excess moisture encourages etiolated, weak growth that lacks the necessary resilience to withstand regular compression. Weeding is also particularly important during the establishment phase because foreign plants can break up the continuous thyme mat, creating vulnerable weak points.
To prevent the older, central parts of the plant from becoming woody and bare, occasional light shearing is beneficial. This practice is typically performed after the main flush of flowering has concluded. Shearing encourages the production of new, flexible, low-growing stems and leaves, refreshing the plant’s surface and continually renewing the soft, walkable texture.