The Overlooked Herb That Makes A Perfect Ground Cover For Your Rocky Soil Yard

From creeping, sprawling ground cover to towering flowers with vibrant blooms, plants can make a major difference in your yard. While at first glance it may seem like that difference is restricted to visual appeal alone, adding the right plants to your yard can also offer other benefits. For example, picking the right plants to use as ground cover can help reduce the number of weeds while also keeping erosion to a minimum and fostering a diverse ecosystem right in your backyard. However, if you have rocky soil that seems too stubborn to support any plant life, it may feel like a carefully cultivated yard is just out of reach. Fortunately, this overlooked herb thrives in rocky or sandy soil, making it a perfect ground cover option.

Creeping savory (Satureja spicigera) perennial that can readily tolerate the rocky soil that other plants may fail to grow in. Not only that, it blooms with small but charming white flowers and boasts fragrant leaves. Creeping savory is also resistant to deer, making it a solid solution if deer keep eating your ground cover. If you're interested in growing creeping savory in your own yard, there are just a few things to learn about this plant first, from the conditions it grows best in to the type of care it needs. It's also important to research your specific location beforehand to ensure that this plant is safe to grow, with no worries about invasive behaviors that may do more harm than good.

If you have the right conditions to grow creeping savory in, you'll find its relatively low-maintenance, making it a great fuss-free plant for beginners. In addition to its resistance to deer, pests and diseases also aren't common issues. Creeping savory needs just enough pruning to maintain its compact appearance after a summer of blooming its showy flowers. Although its flowers may not last all year, creeping savory is an evergreen perennial, so you can enjoy its fragrant leaves year-round in most areas.

Creeping savory can grow in USDA zones 6 through 9, and it can be easily grown alongside other herbs in your yard like rosemary and sage. While it can tolerate a variety of conditions, it does need well-draining soil, as it doesn't hold up well to standing or pooling water. Creepy savory is a bright-light plant that grows best in full sun, so you'll want to plant it in a place in your yard that receives ample sunlight. If you're looking to brighten up shaded areas of your garden, you may want to choose a different plant option. Overall, though, with its tidy growth habit and fragrant foliage, creeping savory is an easy way to add beauty to the garden, even to the most stubborn rocky soils.