Ditch Concrete Pavers: Edge Your Driveway With This Walkable And Fragrant Ground Cover Instead

Overall, concrete pavers can be a solid choice for finishing your driveway edging while keeping visual appeal front and center. After all, they offer durability and customization for a driveway that's as eye-catching as the rest of your landscaping. However, for all their benefits, concrete pavers, like any driveway edging option, have their downsides, including the maintenance required to correct shifting and keep weeds at bay. As a result, while concrete pavers are popular, you may be interested in exploring other options, including this fragrant, walkable ground cover.

Also known as Breckland or wild thyme, creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is a popular ground cover plant. Unlike other types of thyme, this species isn't commonly used while cooking. However, it's still incredibly aromatic, with its leaves smelling similar to mint. It can also tolerate light to moderate levels of foot traffic.

As a result, while it may not serve as a replacement for hardier plants designed for daily foot traffic across a lawn, it can grow well along the edge of a driveway where occasional walking may occur. Creeping thyme may also grow as an evergreen depending on where you're located and your typical climate, which means you could enjoy year-round visual appeal from this fragrant plant as well. Creeping thyme is known for being easy to grow. It can be a great plant choice for beginner gardeners looking to spice up their driveway edging without committing to more demanding plants.

One thing to keep an eye on with creeping thyme, especially near a driveway with runoff, is that it is susceptible to root rot. Because of this, you'll want to plan accordingly before adding this ground cover plant to your edging. Creeping thyme does not do well in poorly draining soil that retains water. You'll want to ensure the area around your driveway is prepared to support healthy growth. This may involve augmenting the soil around your driveway to create the right environment for success.

Outside of preparing in advance to prevent any potential problems, creeping thyme is generally low maintenance. It's best grown in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9, making it a perennial option for many different climates. While generally easy to grow, it can be a bit picky about sunlight, as it requires full sun to thrive. If your driveway spends most of the day in the shade, you may wish to find a few shade-loving edge options instead to curate a living border that survives and thrives in the environment. With the proper care, creeping thyme also produces small flowers through the summer, helping make your driveway look new again by boosting visual appeal.