United States Edition

Thyme  

Thymus vulgaris

Thyme is part of the Thymus genus and its scientific name is Thymus vulgaris. The vulgaris part of this plant's botanical name means 'common'.

Aromatic herb with small evergreen leaves, enjoys full sun. Small pink flowers in the summer that are attractive to bees. Used in cooking to flavour stews, sauces and soups.
Winter hardy but best picked young

The leaves of this particular variety normally show as   Ao green colour. Thyme grows as a perennial and is a herb. Being a perennial plant, it tends to grow best over several years (approx 3 years and greater). Normally reaching to a mature height of 11.7 inches (30.0 cm). Expect blooming to occur in mid summer. Try planting Thyme if you'd like to attract butterflies to your garden. Popular varieties of Thyme with home gardeners are Common, English, German Winter, French Summer, and Argenteus.

United Kingdom is thought to be the country of origin for Thyme.

Typically, Thyme is normally fairly low maintenance and can thus be quite easy to grow - only a basic level of care is required throughout the year to ensure it thrives. Being aware of the basic growing conditions this plant likes (soil, sun and water) will result in a strong and vibrant plant.

This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about Thyme have been kindly provided by our members.

How to grow Thyme

  • Full Sun

    +
  • Low

Plants will become woody with age and the best leaves are on new growth. Trim the bushes lightly to promote new growth or harvest regularly. Plants will need replacing after a few seasons.

A full sun position will ensure your plant thrives and remember to apply water fairly sparingly. As a rough idea of the types of climates Thyme does best in, check to see if your local area is within USDA Hardiness Zones 5 and 9. Thyme requires a soil ph of 6.0 - 7.0 meaning it does best in weakly acidic soil - neutral soil. Keep in mind when planting that Thyme is thought of as hardy, so this plant will survive close to or on freezing temperatures.

Growing Thyme from seed

Germinates best at 15 to 20C, cover only with a sprinkling of fine compost

Look to ensure a distance 11.7 inches (30.0 cm) between Thyme seeds when sowing to make sure your seedlings have enough space. Soil temperature should be kept higher than 21°C / 70°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Thyme about 42 days before your last frost date .

Transplanting Thyme

Although winter hardy, plant our young plants after frost has passed, in a well drained and sunny position

Harvesting Thyme

To preserve thyme for winter use, you can either dry or freeze it.

Air drying Thyme: To dry thyme without a dehydrating machine, simply hang upside-down in small bunches in a cool, dark place. check that they are ready by crumbling a little in your fingers – if ready put into small airtight jars to keep until use.

Freeze drying Thyme: pack ice cube trays with thyme leaves and then cover with hot water (the hot water should blanch the thyme quickly and keep the colour nice and green). Place in the freezer for at least 24 hours, then place in freezer bags and store to defrost when required. Alternatively, blend thyme leaves in a food processor with oil to a smooth paste consistency, then pour into ice cube trays. After 24 hours, remove from the trays and place into freezer bags and store frozen until required.

Companion plants for Thyme

These plants have been known to grow well alongside Thyme so consider planting:

Repellent plants for Thyme

These plants will not grow well with Thyme so avoid planting these within close proximity:

Common Thyme problems

These problems, diseases and pests are known to affect Thyme plants:

Aphids on young growth

Thyme Etymology

The name Thymus derives from the Greek thyo, to perfume. The botanical epithet is from the Latin vulgaris meaning “common”

Thyme Folklore & Trivia

Thyme contains about 1% volatile oil including the active contituents carvacrol and thymol. It is these phenolic compounds that are responsible for its medicinal properties as an antiseptic, antitussive and expectorant. The oil is also used in the perfume industry and in aromatherapy

wear some thyme and it will be sure to bring you a sweetheart1

Other names for Thyme

French thyme, English thyme, Irish Thyme, Mountain thyme, Wild thyme, Common thyme, Garden thyme, German thyme, Winter thyme, Tymián

Thymus vulgaris L.

Misspellings: Tyme, Thime, Time

Latest Thyme Reviews

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Thyme care instructions

How long does Thyme take to grow?

These estimates for how long Thyme takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world. Start logging and journaling your observations to participate!

When should I plant Thyme?

Our when to plant Thyme estimates are relative to your last frost date. Enter your frost dates and we'll calculate your sowing and planting dates for you!

Footnotes

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