Coccineus is a red creeping thyme that forms a flat, dense mat of tiny, dark green, evergreen leaves. From early through midsummer the mat disappears under a blanket of bright magenta-red flowers, and in fall the leaves take on bronze tones.
It is lovely between stepping stones, spilling over walls, in rock gardens and along path edges. The foliage is fragrant when brushed, it handles drought well and deer tend to avoid it.
What it looks like
Tiny, two-lipped flowers about 1/4 inch long in bright magenta red, packed into small rounded heads that cover the entire surface of the plant. Leaves are tiny, oval, about 1/4 inch long, dark glossy green, set closely on thin, creeping, rooting stems. The plant forms a flat, dense mat 2 to 4 inches tall and about 12 inches wide, hugging the ground and stones. In fall the leaves turn bronze. At peak bloom it looks like a solid carpet of magenta red with almost no green showing.
Growing it with lavender
Creeping thyme loves the same full sun and lean, well-drained soil as lavender, and its low magenta mat makes a fragrant living mulch or edging at the feet of lavender plants, blooming right alongside them.
Care
Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil; it is drought tolerant once established and dislikes wet soil. Hardy in zones 3-8; shear lightly after bloom to keep the mat dense, and it will tolerate light foot traffic between stones.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Thymus praecox
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Flower color: Bright magenta red
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Foliage: Dark green, bronze in fall
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Growth habit: Flat, creeping mat
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Mature size: 2–4 in tall × 12 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Early-June
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Peak bloom: Late-June
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
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