Thyme – Common

Plant family: Lamiaceae

Plant origin: Mediterranean region.

Fruit description:

Flowers: The flowers are tiny, pinkish mauve, appearing on the tips of the branches in Spring and Summer.

Growing conditions: Thyme is a hardy perennial low growing herb. It can tolerate dry conditions. It likes a cool or warm climate but not tropical. Thyme likes a sunny position in well drained soil. Part shade is OK too. It grows to about 30cm high. Feed your thyme about once a year with compost or manure pellets or blood and bone. Trim the thyme after flowering to maintain bushy shape. It grows well in a rockery, in the garden, or in a pot or hanging basket, looks wonderful mixed with other herbs so the different foliages contrast. It is wonderful as a border, along a path or between pavers so the aroma is released when the plant is brushed against.

Uses: Thyme is an appealing plant, grown for its tiny leaves, lovely little flowers, to attract bees, pleasant aroma and delicious flavour. Add the stems and leaves to marinades, casseroles, stocks, soups such as pea and ham, on pizzas. It is used in Mediterranean, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cooking. It goes well with meat, chicken, fish, rabbit, and venison. In slow cooked dishes, add the thyme early in the cooking. It is used with bay leaf, oregano, and parsley to make a traditional “bouquet garni” in French cooking. It is a main ingredient in Zatar, a Middle Eastern spice/herb mixture sprinkled on savoury breads.

Medicinal uses: Thyme is traditionally used an antiseptic, to treat sore throats and wounds, thrush, respiratory infections. An oil infusion of thyme is used to treat stings, bites and skin fungal infections.

Pollination requirements: Self-Pollinating.

Harvest time Pick the stems and leaves any time you need to use it, but the best flavour is obtained in dry weather just before flowering. Thyme retains its flavour when dried.

Plant relatives Common Thyme is related to other culinary Thymes such as Lemon Thyme, Turkey Thyme, Wild Thyme, Woolly Thyme, Pizza Thyme, Mastic Thyme, Conehead Thyme, and Caraway Thyme. There are also about 300 non culinary thymes.

Special features: Honey made by bees from thyme flowers is delicious. Plant thyme around a sundial as a garden pun on “time”. Thyme oil was used to heal wounds before antibiotics were manufactured, and thyme was used by the ancient Egyptians in the preservation of mummies.

Grown by method: Cutting Grown Pot size: 100mm

Plant growing Height and Width for pots or in the ground planting: Grows to 0.3 metres high by 0.3 metres wide if Planted in a Pot. Grows 0.3 metres high by 0.3 metres wide if Planted in the Ground.

Shipping plant pot or planter bag size: 100mm