This week I set the six mosaic stepping stones into our xeric-garden backyard. Once the sandstone pathways were completed, the area between the paths & patio were filled with soil/compost; then laid in underground irrigation; we then planted with seven varieties of creeping thyme. The thyme grows low to the ground, and will be walkable once the plants mature. Each variety has a unique color & timeline to its blossoms. Over the next several years, the thyme will completely cover the area — the mosaic stepping stones provide a walking path across the thyme garden.
Since June of this year, we’ve been crafting the “islands” of our xeric garden with Idaho-native plants: globe mallow, yarrow, rabbitbrushes, Mojave sage, Wyoming Sage, several varieties of penstemon, native buckwheats, bunching grasses, and various succulents. The Partridge Feather, planted along the rocky borders have quadrupled in size since spring. Our islands have become an artistic blend of ironwork, pottery, mosaics, withered trunks of sagebrush, and stones.
