If more sun than shade, the woolly thyme should work well, as would any other variety of creeping thyme. Leptinella would be another good choice - forms a very soft, almost cushiony surface that is very pleasant with bare feet :-)) And not a heavy bloomer so less likely to be the bee magnet flowering thyme is.

Thanks, gardengal. I just saw leptinella between flagstones at a nursery's demonstration garden and didn't know what it was. I think I'm more of a thyme person. I don't mind bees as there won't be seating or dining on the patio. We have a deck for that. But does woolly thyme bloom?

Not as heavily as some of the other creeping thymes, but yes, in summer with small pink flowers.

Just keep in mind that our wet winters can often cause significant die back in thyme plantings unless the soil is exceedingly well drained. And in our climate would really prefer a full sun location - you will not get similar growth in a more shaded position. The leptinella kind of neutralizes these concerns :-) It is more tolerant of shade and does not require very fast drainage and doesn't seem fazed by our winter damp.

Maybe I should use gravel instead. I could do a smaller planted area between a few flagstones like this, which would be our view out the patio doors, just to provide some greenery. What do you think?

Do you know what this plant is?

Skagit Bay Waterfront, Camano Island WA · More Info

Sorry, it's much too indistinct to tell :-) But there are groundcovers you could use that would provide a similar appearance. Rupturewort, Herniaria glabra, would provide an almost identical appearance to the photo. Also more tolerant of a bit of shade and wet weather than the thyme but not very showy.....another common name is "green carpet" as that is pretty much what it is :-)

I haven't found any groundcover that works between flagstones that doesn't require a lot of maintenance. Proper soil preparation for the groundcover used is of the utmost importance. Part of the problem lies in the gravel used as a substrate for the flagstone so it doesn't heave or settle. It gives good drainage, but allows the soil used for the groundcovers to dry out relatively fast. Even Thyme has a difficult time with that unless it can root below the gravel. Weeds are the biggest headache for me.

Thank you both. I'm going to skip the groundcover. I really like that rupturewort (what a name!) and might be able to use it where the flagstones make a narrow path through my part-shade garden beds.

Known as baby's tears here :-) But not often used between pavers in this area as it dislikes foot traffic, dislikes full sun and needs consistently moist soil, which makes it tricky in our summers. And of marginal hardiness unless in a protected area.

Over here it is very rarely deliberately planted because it spreads like crazy. Dislikes sun, needs constant moisture, mildish winters .... perfect for our climate.

Of course the plant in the photo could be some other small leaved creeping creature.

I saved these pics from Pinterest and have tried planting a variety of things for interest...one of the most successful is dwarf black mondo grass. It seems to thrive, wet or dry, few weeds, doesn't disappear in the winter.

I like having different things in different spots between the stones.

(not my path).

Thanks. olychick. I have seen dwarf mondo grass used between pavers. I have several gold areas in my garden where the mondo grass would look good. I like a mix too. I also like little rock garden plants between pavers.

I'm rethinking my plan as we don't really need a patio when we have a deck. I just need to fill that former lawn space somehow. The area on the right was going to be solid flagstones, but now I'm thinking of doing a triangular flagstone pad to mimic my new perennials island bed on the left. I don't think I can manage planting between all those flagstones in the path so will probably go with landscape guy's gravel suggestion. But I'd like to plant around the stones that make up the triangular pad. I'm going to have to add edging plants around the perimeter of the pad to shrink the bare ground area. I did move a creeping Veronica there, the one with the bright blue spring flowers. I'll probably be back for suggestions for edging plants once we get the shape worked out. We're not planning this till late summer as he's booked out three months.