Just a couple of comments in the 2 previous posts that need clarification :-)
The term 'shade' really doesn't mean nothing! In addition to the hours of no direct sunlight to be considered, there is also the quality of the shade to consider. Depending on the source, you can have heavy shade, light shade, dappled shade, filtered shade. And finally, you can have a garden area that receives no direct sunlight or very little, yet enjoys bright indirect light conditions. Many north facing gardens can experience this situation. This is also considered a shade area because it receives no direct sunlight.
The creeping thyme will easily tolerate light or partial shade but will not grow as vigorously, spread as well or flower as heavily as they would in more sun. With thyme, good drainage is the more critical factor for success.
Yes, you can plant here year round. It is not drought conditions that govern this activity but temperatures. Mild and cool summers and mild, mostly above freezing winters allow new planting when other areas would consider to be planting extremes. The ground doesn't freeze and we receive minimal snow so planting in December and January can be done as easily as in March and April. Or June or September!! I plant all summer long. And we just finished off a major landscape renovation for a client of several hundred plants, from trees and shrubs to perennials and groundcovers.
And while the PNW is home to a large temperate rainforest, it occupies only a small and very specific geographical position. Most of the rest of the area receives no more rain than the rest of the country (on average, 36 inches) and a lot less than many areas. And it tends to come outside of any summer months. From mid June through the end of September, rainfall is very sparse, rarely exceeding an inch in total for those 4 months and often much less. This is a recurring summer drought area.
Finally, if you have trouble finding plugs, you can make your own :-) The 4 inch pots of thyme - the way most groundcovers are sold here - can be cut/divided into quarters. Since they root as they spread, you are assured each division has a sufficient root system to support it. This method can be done with any similarly rooting-while-spreading GC, like the Corsican sandwort.
Q
