Any experience with creeping red sedum?

Is this the ground cover that you can walk on and smell mother of thyme? Do they require a lot of water?


I want to create pathways throughout my cottage garden (1/2 acre) using it as straight lines around my stepping stones. I'd really appreciate any insight anyone has on this. I don't have any shade in it yet as my tree's are to little to give much shade.

Any experience with creeping red sedum?
Creeping red sedum is not thyme. It's probably some variety of Sedum spathulifolium (Stonecrop). The one with the reddish foliage is Sedum spathulifolium ssp. carnea. It has yellow flowers and gray foliage tinged with red-purple. It gets 4-5" tall and needs moderate to dry water. This kind can take sun to part shade. There are a lot of Sedum spathulifoliums available, I just mention this one because you said creeping red sedum.





Now, for creeping thyme. There are a lot of those too. The closest fitting "creeping red" would probably be Thymus serpyllum var. coccineus 'Red Creeping' (Creeping Thyme, Mother of Thyme, Red Flowered Thyme). It has green foliage with crimson magenta flowers. It's has a scent to the foliage too. It gets 2-4" in height and about 1-3' in width. It takes full sun and moderate to dry water requirements. It's great for between stepping stones if you give enough room. You can't just give it 4" to spread! (There are many, many other types of creepers available too.)





Now, keep in mind that pretty much anything with a flower will attract bees. Both of these plants are easy to grow, don't need a lot of water, stay low and are perennial. You can also easily divide them when they are established to create more for your needs, this helps save on the pocketbook.





Here are links to show the plants I mentioned:


http://www.sedumphotos.net/v/sedum-s/Sed...


http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs...





Hope this helps. Good luck. :)
Reply:Sedum is a succulent. It sqooshes if you walk on it and looks nasty. And I tried to grow it but everything, including the lizards, like to eat it.





Thyme, a few different kinds, can be used between stones of paths. Wolly thyme is noce because it looks fuzzty. Nice little blooms too.





Corsican mint is also a low growing plant that smells, of course, like mint if you walk on it. Likes sun if it gets enough water.





Bluestar creeper and a few other plants (my mind going blank here) also do niely in pathways.





Try a search for "lawn substitutes" and see what comes up.