Ground cover for shallow ground

I've replaced my patio and the area is slightly smaller than the old one. I'm left with some very compact grit and sand around the patio. I can put some top soil over it but it would likely be less than an inch deep.

Any ideas what I could plant as ground cover over the top of this?

I like the idea of something that would creep over the edges of the patio. Alpines, moss, that kind of thing.

 

Hiya Mike
Not a lot really but sedum spurium will do the job and look good too. Reddish foliage and red flowers and needing very little soil to thrive.

 

How about something like creeping thyme.

 

Golden Oregano

 

I'm not sure but I may have some sedum spurium. I bought a lot of random alpines last year and didn't keep track of what they all are. I haven't seen any flowers but it looks similar. I'll perhaps order some specifically.

Thyme is one of my favourites. There are so many different varieties, the bees love it and it is perhaps my favourite for cooking. I reckon I perhaps have about 50 thyme plants dotted around. I will look to divide some up and get them established. Funnily not long after posting this i noticed one of my thyme plants has managed to cover over the top of a fairly large rock in my rockerie .

Golden oregano looks interesting. I don't see many (any) uk sellers of plants. Think I would need to grow from seed.

I am in the process of getting a heath pearlwort lawn established. It does need to root but it may be able to spread over some of the smaller gaps with a bit of encouragement.

 

I don't know if it's any help but, less than two inches below this is concrete.



The problem isn't so much finding something to grow, as stopping it drying out in weather like this.

 

Agree with the drying out issue. I live in Scotland where it rains all the time apparently. But im actually noticing very dry springs and early summers. Even when we get a big rainfall the ground dries up quickly.