Western Mountains and High Plains
February, 2010
Regional Report
Favorite or New Plant
Woolly Thyme
If you're faced with retrofitting your landscape with less thirsty plants, include woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) on your list. Its leathery, gray-green leaves form a dense, aromatic mat. This is an excellent ground cover that can be planted as edging along sidewalks, driveways, between stepping stones, and in those "hell strips" between the street and sidewalk. It grows best in well-drained soils, and once established it is very drought tolerant.
Set out transplants in early spring to take advantage of spring moisture and get this ground cover off to a healthy, vigorous start.
Clever Gardening Technique
Yellow Sticky Insect Traps
Bothered by tiny flying black gnats around your houseplants or newly emerging seedlings? Here's a homemade recipe that will curtail their presence: Make your own sticky traps by using bright yellow 3 by 5 index cards; staple to a wooden or plastic plant label; smear petroleum jelly on the surfaces of the cards and place close to where the adult flies congregate. Replace as needed. It really works!
