With its north African and Mediterranean inheritance , you ’ll require similar condition when growing thyme as you have for other Mediterranean herbs such asoregano , rosemary , andfennel .
The thyme herbaceous plant plays well with other herbs and has a tendency to make Friend with other flavors easy . It ’s also as attractive to multiple pollinators when it ’s in flower , so be easy working around it at that time .
Below you will bump a description of the thyme herb , include its elevation , hardiness , and flower ; light , moisture , andsoil requirement ; culture tip for restrain your growing thyme healthy and tasty ; our favourite variety ; and some ideas for how to apply thyme in your habitation .
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Description
grow thyme acquire a turn of postures , include prostrate or creep sort ( these top out at 4 inches mellow ) and more erect miniskirt - shrub reaching a full foot grandiloquent . wide than gamy in most case , a mature thyme plant can be 18 or more inches across .
believe a semi - woody perennial further north , many thymes are evergreen or about so from zone 5 south .
Design Hint:
This is an often - evergreen plant , drought resistant herbaceous plant usable in groundcover forms , meaning it ’s a enceinte bet for cascade down over walls and using in window boxful or other containers .
Light, Moisture, and Soil Requirements
luminosity : Full to part sun , a minimum of 4 or 5 hour of direct light each 24-hour interval .
Moisture : on the dry side of medium/ restrained . Thyme is somewhat drought liberal .
grease : Loose , gritty , well - draining dirt , preferably a small lacking in nutrient and overall quality . look at a lite colored rocky mulch , preferably with a small mo of limestone in the make up .
Gardening Tips for Growing Thyme
Starting Thyme:
Start from seeds or seedling , take in a root word division of a more matured plant , or settle out a cut in the summer .
Cultivating Thyme:
Proper drain is the key to success here .
southerly gardeners : to induce blockheaded growing in the bound , cut foliation section back to within 2 inches of the ground . This can be done again in early - summer solstice before it blossom although a third cut - back is not recommended .
Northern nurseryman : move that spring tailor to fall , about a month before first frost . The raw ontogeny that flushes after this gash will be fearless to the wintertime .
take down : If you are inherit an older works , do not cut back into the old woody brown growth where the stems have hollowed . It wo n’t come back as thickly there .
Varieties To Try
Doone Valley thymeis my personal favorite for looks . It has creep tendril of mostly evergreen , small , citrus - scented , gold - margined leaves in spring and fall and adorable pale purplish flower in summer .
Silver Posie thyme carries white - margins around it ’s fragrant , mostly evergreen leafage . This is not a fawn thyme but it is tiny enough to make it a great edging mixed bag in the garden .
For gauzy flavor , the classic is the heavy French thyme ( T. vulgare ) . If you have only one and it ’s for cooking , choose this one . But why have just one ? I ’d also recommendLemon thyme(T. x citriodorus ) for feeling as this citrous fruit - y thyme is perfect for either gratifying or savory cooking .
Using Thyme
Thyme was first employ by the Egyptians as an embalm ingredient and did n’t gain culinary popularity until Ancient Greece . Now its a raw material in French , Greek , and other European cuisine .
Use lemon - scented and flavored thyme meagerly in seafood , poultry , and fruit desserts . The more traditional thymes are perfect for flavor oils and vinegar , soups , stews , love apple - based dish aerial , roasted meats , and steamed or boil veggies .
The more flyspeck and mouse thyme forms are still somewhat utilitarian in the kitchen , however I in person feel they ’re more appropriate as an ornamental ground cover in the garden , between pavers , splatter out of retaining walls and ornamental planter .
