Thyme Makes Sturdy Ground Cover

Q. Several weeks ago you did a segment on television about a ground cover. I have recently moved to a house with a bank in the front yard that leads to an orchard. The bank is too steep for grass, so I was wondering if you could get me the name of the ground cover you mentioned.

It was a low-growing plant, not over six inches tall. It didn't need much water, could grow in sun and could take some foot traffic. There were other colors but the one mentioned was blue-flowering.

A. I think you are referring to thyme. However, the flowers are lavender, not blue. There are other varieties that come in shades of pink, red and white. The variety called wooly thyme has gray foliage.

Ajuga, Lithospermum, and Ceanothus Gloriosus are probably the best-known blue-flowering ground covers, but they are really not suitable for walking on.

Q. In a recent article and on a television program you discussed harvesting peat moss and I thought it was most interesting. However, there was one point that wasn't mentioned. After the peat is harvested, what are they doing to restore the environment?

A. I talked with the industry in Canada and they say that they work very closely with Environment Canada and restore the bog in whatever way they advise. In some cases, it is a matter of liming the area and planting grain crops. In other cases, they trench around the bog and restore it as a wetland.

The peat and Labrador tea plants start growing right away; the industry claims that within a few years the entire area restores itself to the point where one cannot recognize it from the surrounding established vegetation.

Q. We planted Hypericum on a slope in the front of our house. Last summer it started to creep all over my lawn and we were frantic. I sprayed the leaves with weed killer and now the lawn has dead leaves all over it. Can you tell me if there is anything I can do to stop it from spreading?

A. Place a metal or plastic edging material along the edge of the beds. These edging materials, sold at garden outlets and hardware stores, will confine the Hypericum to the bed. Any additional plants that come up in the lawn can be treated with the weed killer again, later this spring when the weather gets warmer.

Q. I am taking care of an amaryllis for a friend who is confined to a wheelchair. What do I do with the plant when it finishes flowering?

A. Feed this plant once a month with an all-purpose, houseplant-type fertilizer. During May, June and July, fertilize with 0-10-10.

In late August or the first of September, place the plant on a shelf and let it go dormant: Do not water it, feed it or give it any care.

In mid-November or early December, the bulb can be repotted into new soil and started all over again. With the care you have given the bulb, it should flower again.

Gardening by Ed Hume appears Thursday and Friday in the Scene section and Sunday in the Home/Real Estate section of The Times. He cannot respond to personal inquiries by mail but will answer questions of general interest in this column. Address questions to Ed Hume, c/o The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111.