Next season I am planning to dig up two areas, and make some "natural" stairs.
I have creeping thyme seeds ready.
But what other perennials would work?
The stairs are not going to be used that often, so plants which are borderline steppable would work.
This is zone 3 so it needs to be cold hardy.

Hi Caroline!

My very, very favorites are the geraniums Biokovo and St. Ola. They spread well, and you can walk lightly on them. I think they would be hardy for you, but they like a little shade. What are your conditions?

Both sets of "stairs" are in the shade.
I'll look for those geraniums. That would be neat and a change from thyme.

This is an awesome site for finding all kinds of groundcover
http://www.stepables.com/defau...

I love Creeping Jenny(Moneywort) Lysimachia nummularia

Thank You for that site.

You're welcome

Creeping Jenny would do well. I wish I could share with you. I pulled it up like a weed and then I saw on the container forum it looked nice draping over mixed pots.

I am doing the same with the Creeping J I planted 5 years ago.
I do keep a small area for containers but It is a royal pain in the garden.

But it might be less of a pain in more northerly gardens.

Checking your area and I would say Calgary is pretty cold.
Once it begins to spread here,it is impossible to pull out.
I have discovered this with Lamium maculatem.Its just horrible.
I have other Lamiums that behave themselves.Check Bluestone Perennials.
I have Golden Anniversery and White Nancy.They seem to be slower to expand.The maculatem has a silver chevron on a green leaf and purple flowers.
http://www.bluestoneperennials...

I have a few of the white Nancy. The golden anniversary one might be nice---
I'll look for it in the spring.
My favorite lamium is a cultivar "Anne Greenaway" which leaves are green on edges and gold in center.
It is well behaved too.

I know that creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) can be very invasive in warmer zones from what's I've read, but I haven't found it to be a problem here after many years. It certainly adds a lot of colour when it is covered in bloom, and it blooms over a long period too. The golden variety ('Aurea') is less vigorous.

Good to know! Thanks.

You know, I have to admit I'd be cringing every time I stepped on my plants! (A few stepping stones, log slices, bark paths, etc. would make me feel better. It would allow using taller plants, that might otherwise get damaged quite a bit, too.)
Assuming you are looking for shorter plants...
Lysimachia nummularia (excuse the meter on the side of the house; I've never figured out how to hide the darn thing!):


No doubt you've already considered Ajuga reptans? It's another that can get to be a pest in warmer zones but is a very useful and reasonably slow-spreading groundcover here.
There are a zillion cultivars but here is Ajuga reptans 'Valfredda', one that I like a lot:


The lower-growing Antennaria species (pussy-toes) can be very nice, and even the flowering stalks are only a few inches tall.
Antennaria umbrinella:

Another Antennaria whose name I've lost, unfortunately:



Groundcover Veronica species would probably work well.
Veronica saturejoides; this is not a great example of Veronica whitleyi but it does nicely around here; a variety of V. repens(?) or similar whose cultivar name I've misplaced:


Many thymes do well here, not just wooly thyme... and it does smell nice when the foliage is bruised!
Thymus neiceffii, in bud and in bloom; Thymus doerfleri; Thymus 'Pink Chintz:


Thymus minus - excellent for between stepping stones; Thymus serpyllum (x2) - a good late summer bloomer, love watching the bees enjoy this!


How about Phlox subulata, of which there are many cultivars; also, Phlox stolonifera is low-growing with flower stems to about 8"... ?

Wow! Thanks for the pictorial ideas.
I like the blue flowered Whitley's speedwell (Veronica).
But when I place it out near the street, it walks, and I am left with holes.
I shall come back to your pics in the spring.
I was planning to spread traction sand on each step, and then plant low growers on the sides.
I may need rail ties to hold steps from washing down.

Phlox subulata is tough enough to walk on without worry ... at least here (but I am in a different zone). I do like it a lot!

That would work too!

I did not know you could walk through it. Good info.

The 'Scarlet Flame' variety even has a few blooms throughout the winter here.

Wow, even better.