I have a patch of garden in my yard that nothing has grown in for years - until this spring it was covered in river rocks, but weeds seemed to do okay in the soil. :P I decided to plant some ground cover. Thyme on the sunny end, and Scottish moss on the other side where a tree shades it for part of the day.

I bought sprouted plants in May and mixed in some new gardening soil, since I suspect the soil there is going to need some time and compost before it's really nutritious again. I planted them according to the tag (they came from a local nursery) and the great news is that they're still alive a month later. But they're both the same size as they were when I transplanted them.

It's very possible that I made an elementary mistake, but I'm not sure what that is. I'm used to transplanting annual flowers into proven soil, but I want a nice ground cover so I wanted to see if I could keep the thyme and/or the moss alive. How long does it usually take them to spread?

Have you ever heard the saying: The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap?

Good luck!
Dee

Second, does the sun/shade pattern give the plants optimum growing conditions? It's certainly a factor along with moisture levels.

Be patient and focus on improving your soil. Mulching with overlapped layers of corrugated cardboard will attract worms which will improve your soil. Healthy soil = healthy perennials.

Just a suggestion but if you're serious about gardening, do a shade study, close to the Summer Solstice, and mark where your garden areas get full-/part-sun as well as full/ part shade. Then stretch your imagination to plant things that adapt to multiple conditions. I have many things growing in part shade & part sun beds that are generally related to either shade or sun. In healthy soil, they've done well wherever they're planted.

I have a patch of garden in my yard that nothing has grown in for years

That statement suggests poor soil where even weeds don't grow, which also suggests there aren't enough worms thriving in it to enrich the soil. Worms = worm poop which = worm poop in the soil which = healthy soil along with healthy plants.

Last comment is gardening means having patience for plants to do what they do naturally. You aren't in control and fertilizers won't change that. Ma Nature calls the shots and as a gardener, your job is to wait until she's ready.

Your job is to plant the right things in healthy soil where they've a chance to survive/thrive. They'll take it from there...

I agree with garden weed ... maybe the condition of the soil is the problem. The thing that struck me is that you said the area had been covered in river rock with weeds sprouting between them, which makes me think that the soil had become compacted over time and there isn't enough aeration..... you know, it's kind of "barren" underneath. If so, improving soil composition would really help.

Could post a picture to show this area?

Just just give them some more time.

Kevin