How to do it
The method for crack planting depends on which plants you want.
Chamomile 'Treneague' and named varieties of thyme will not come true from seed, so buy a few plants and split them (unless, where the chamomile's concerned, you buy small plug plants that are ready to be pushed into gaps).
I have found it impossible to find Corsican mint seeds, too, so split that as well.
Splitting need not be difficult, because these plants naturally run across the surface of compost and root as they go, in effect creating lots of small plants that need to be severed from each other.
Water thoroughly first, then tip the plant out of its pot and look across the surface to see that the stems are rooted into the ground.
If they are, snip the plant into sections, each with a bit of stem and a bit of root (you may need to chop off the bulk of the roots first, but they should grow back).
Push the pieces into your cracks and pack around them with compost before watering well and continuing to water frequently.
Some will take; others will die.
Expect some losses.
For my own back path I'm going straight and true (and cheap) with a packet of pink-flowered creeping Thymus serphyllum seeds.
With seeds, the cracks must be prepared first: pour on a fairly fine and lump-free compost and brush it in.
Then sprinkle the seeds along the cracks, water in, and remember to water every few days in dry weather until the plants are established.
- Gardens: plants for cracks | Life and style | The Guardian
- How To Grow Thyme (Step-by-Step) - gardenersworld.com - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
- Great Varieties of Thyme to Grow - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
