🌿 Thyme

Thyme is a tough, aromatic evergreen that thrives in poor, dry, sunny places, and it is among the easiest and most useful of the Mediterranean herbs. It lasts for years, is a magnet for bees, and looks good in rockeries, paths and containers.

There are many varieties: common thyme for cooking, lemon thyme for fish and chicken, and creeping thymes for lawn and paths. Poor, free-draining soil produces more flavourful plants than rich soil.

Varieties to try

Common thyme (best for cooking)Lemon thyme (citrus aroma)Silver Posie (variegated, ornamental)Orange balsam thyme (orange scent)Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum, for paths)

Plant potted thyme from March to October in a sunny position in free-draining, gritty soil. Add plenty of grit or sharp sand on heavy ground, or plant on a raised bed or in a pot with gritty compost. Space plants 30 cm apart.

Thyme can be grown from seed sown in spring on the surface of compost, but it is slow and unpredictable; cuttings or plants are better. Take softwood cuttings in early summer, or layer stems. Water in until established, then leave.

Top tips

• Add grit for drainage.
• Choose the sunniest spot.
• Buy plants or take cuttings.
• Avoid rich soil.

Thyme needs almost no care. Water only in prolonged droughts, and avoid overwatering and feeding. Trim plants lightly after flowering in summer, cutting back to just above the old wood, to keep them compact and prevent legginess. Don’t cut into bare wood, as it won’t regrow.

Replace plants every 4–5 years, when they become woody and sparse. Wet winters are the main killer, so ensure sharp drainage. Aphids and root rot are uncommon problems; grow in pots under cover if your soil is heavy or wet.

Top tips

• Trim after flowering.
• Don’t overwater.
• Never cut into old wood.
• Replace every 4–5 years.

Watch out for

Root rot in wet soilAphidsRosemary beetleWoodiness with age

Pick sprigs at any time of year, though the flavour is strongest just before flowering in early summer. Cut the stems with scissors, taking the top few centimetres, and stay in the soft new growth. Light picking in the first year allows the plant to establish.

Cut larger amounts for drying in June, before flowering, in the morning once the dew is off. Flowers are edible and attractive. Plants remain evergreen and can be picked fresh in winter.

Top tips

• Cut soft green tips.
• Best flavour before flowering.
• Pick fresh all year.
• Dry bunches in June.

Add whole sprigs to stews, casseroles, roasts, stuffings, soups and sauces; the leaves strip easily from the stems. Thyme is classic with chicken, lamb, mushrooms, root vegetables and tomatoes. It is part of bouquet garni and herbes de Provence. Lemon thyme is good with fish.

Fresh thyme keeps for a week or two in the fridge, wrapped in damp paper. It dries exceptionally well, keeping its flavour: hang bunches in a warm, airy place, strip the leaves and store in a jar for up to a year. Freezing in oil also works.

Top tips

• Strip leaves by running fingers down the stem.
• Dry bunches for winter.
• Add early in cooking.
• Use lemon thyme with fish.