Corsican mint sounds like a great idea—I hadn't thought of that. I tried woolly thyme too, and yeah, same story...it looked nice at first but quickly got trampled by my kids and dog. I switched to creeping thyme (the regular kind), and it's held up surprisingly well. Might give Corsican mint a shot next spring though, especially if it smells good when stepped on. Thanks for the tip!
Corsican mint is nice stuff, but from my experience, it can be a bit delicate if you've got heavy foot traffic. I planted some between stepping stones on my patio a couple of years ago—smelled amazing every time someone walked by, but it didn't hold up too well in spots where the kids constantly ran through. Eventually, I ended up mixing Corsican mint with regular creeping thyme, and that combo worked surprisingly well. The thyme handled the wear and tear better, while the mint filled in the less-traveled areas nicely.
If you're thinking about giving Corsican mint a try, maybe start small and see how it holds up before committing to a larger area. Also, make sure your soil drains well—mine struggled at first until I improved drainage a bit. Overall though, it's worth experimenting with just for that fresh scent alone...makes summer evenings on the patio pretty pleasant.
"Eventually, I ended up mixing Corsican mint with regular creeping thyme, and that combo worked surprisingly well."
Interesting combo—I tried something similar with woolly thyme and chamomile. The chamomile didn't hold up great, but the thyme thrived. Did you find creeping thyme spread aggressively or stay manageable?
- Creeping thyme stayed pretty manageable for me—honestly, I wish it had spread a bit more aggressively to fill in some gaps.
- Corsican mint, on the other hand, was surprisingly pushy. Had to trim it back a couple times to keep it from overtaking the thyme.
- Might depend on your climate or soil though...mine's pretty sandy and drains fast, so thyme doesn't go wild here.
Interesting how differently thyme behaves depending on soil. I've had creeping thyme in a clay-heavy area, and it spread pretty aggressively—almost too much at times. Had to keep an eye on it so it wouldn't smother the stepping stones. Corsican mint sounds intriguing though; haven't tried that yet. Does it handle foot traffic well, or does it bruise easily? I'm always looking for groundcovers that can take a bit of wear without looking scruffy. Also curious if anyone's noticed differences in fragrance strength between thyme and mint when they're stepped on...
