Cecile Garrison • Master Gardener • June 25, 2009
I had some lemon thyme that was getting too comfortable in my garden, to the point where it was almost out of control and overtaking pathways, flowers and ornamental grasses in a bed near the driveway.
It smells heavenly when I touch it or walk through it, and it totally enhances the flavor of baked chicken. I gave away a bunch of the aggressive groundcover, but could not bring myself to throw the rest in the compost. I decided to make a pathway with it in my future wildflower garden.
It is extremely tough, drought tolerant, pest resistant and will take light foot traffic. It is evergreen with tiny flowers twice a year. It gets 6 to 8 inches tall. It can be mowed with a mower or weed-eater or trimmed with scissors.
While transplanting the thyme to its new location, I was reminded of the importance of adding plants to the garden that are not just pleasing to the eye, but ones that smell good, feel good and rustle in the breeze.
And so another idea for a garden plan popped into my head: I need a "sensory garden"! Actually, all flowers and plants appeal to one or more of the senses of taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell. It just seems that we tend to choose plants too much on sight.
Flowers are beautiful, but the silhouette of a mature crape myrtle or Japanese maple tree when they have lost their leaves in the winter is also quite pleasing to the eye. I try to have color all year by choosing perennials, annuals and bulbs with long growing seasons or those that self-seed (You have to remember that I have a large garden space that I like to fill with plants). Cosmos, Shirley poppies, zinnias, lantana and dianthus are a few of our best producers. Of course it's hard to beat the beauty of a perfect rose.
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