Jessaka,

Once it is established, creeping thyme is very winter hardy--I think it is a zone 4 plant for winter hardiness. However, if the plants you have were raised from seed indoors and have not been exposed to sub-freezing temperatures, it would be better to keep it inside for now and then put it in the ground after your last frost date has passed. When we raise plants indoors or in a greenhouse with warm conditions, they don't have a chance to build up any tolerance to cold exposure, so we have to baby them along that first spring and keep them safe and warm.

Remember, too, that creeping thyme needs well-drained soil that doesn't hold moisture for an excessively long period. When grown in slow-draining soil, it tends to get fungal diseases and root rot. It took me a lot of amending with sand to get a spot in my garden that would drain well enough for the thyme to survive the wet spells.

Dawn

that you so much dawn. i will baby them. my last year's thyme is dead on top and just hope it comes back from the ground.

Love my creeping thyme! It smalls wonderful and we have planted it between our flagstones along our pool.

I planted my Thyme last year in March, and you all remember how awful the weather was - didn't really warm up until mid-late May, and we had lots of freezes in between that time.

However, they were greenhouse plans that I purchased, and being exposed to cold temps even in the greenhouse, they did just fine. I am going to cut some chunks and move them to another bed to start some there. This is an extremely tough plant and can take a lot of man-handling. Mine stayed green all winter - well, one is a Wooly Thyme and it stayed grey-green, lol. The other is the common Mother of Thyme. I alternated the Wooly and the Mother of Thyme in a garden bed and it looks really nice. Cutting Thyme back each year is a good idea, too. It will produce new foliage and keep it from getting too ratty looking, which Thyme will do.

I haven't tried growing it from seed because I have read a lot about it and it seems to grow very slowly from seed. I'm not that patient, so I usually buy plants, which you can then divide for more plants.

Mine is kind of in a sheltered location, so that may be why the tops didn't die back like yours. I don't have mine in the best location - it doesn't have the best drainage. But, it did thrive and survive. Rather than "test" it, though, I am going to take some divisions and move those to a better location.

Susan

thanks for all your posts. I will remember this susan. as soon as we get some nice weather, I will have to plant it.