The universe has compelled me to shift away from Creeping Thyme in the front garden, and towards Moss Phlox. The incentive: free Moss Phlox from one of my neighbors.

Once I started researching the plant, I came to favor it over my previous choice. Phlox is native to the area, and likely more durable for the local weather patterns and questionable soil content by my house. It also matches my goals similar to Creeping Thyme, growing only to about 6” tall and requiring very little maintenance. Apparently it might emit an odor akin to cannabis, so that’ll an unexpected experience in my Plant Bingo for 2024.

Although I was informed that a little bit will go a long way, I still had a limited amount of plant and a large swath of land (relative to the plant). It does well in full sun, so I decided to start it off in sections staggered along the front of the garden, least touched by the shade of the house. It will likely spread slower than I’d prefer, perhaps an inch a month, so I’ll be looking for more plants to fill in the space between, before the weeds can stake a claim.

The ground zero Iris Patch is also looking ripe for weed takeover, with the flowers not yet flowered and the stalks rather distant from each other. My knowledge that I need to give my plants room to grow fights against my desire to leave no room for surprise plants.

We close out this week with another satisfying view of the blooming Hyacinths. And they smell *lovely.*