I want to replace the lawn in my yard. Back yard has south and west exposure, front yard has north and west exposure. I would like a ground cover that takes heavy foot traffic. I also like my plants to be scented, so after searching the web and nurseries, I chose thyme in different variations. I planted it last summer in a small area to see how it does. To this day, it didn't spread at all, over winter it looked poorly, that is some of it died back, some stayed green. Is there any ground cover that: 1. takes heavy foot traffic 2. is scented 3. spreads fairly fast 4. survives the Vancouver winter without dying back and leaving a muddy corner in my garden 5. is low growing and low maintenance Thank you.
as for the speed of spread, sun conditions, watering and nutrients will play a big role. Once they get ahold, they should do well. Planting distance is variable, I would suggest you take the 4 inch pots of the plants, if they are well filled, take them out of the pot, section them into 4 plants and plant about 6 inches apart for best cover.