There are about 350 species and varieties of Thymus, which are found in North Africa, throughout Eurasia, to the Arctic Circle and in North America.In Poland, a dozen thyme taxa have natural sites.
The most common of them are: Thymus pulegioides, which grows in light forests, on meadows and roadsides, Thymus serpyllum, which inhabits sand, roadsides, embankments, pine forests and heaths, Thymus pannonicus and thyme Marschalla Thymus marschallianus, found on limestone hills in the southern part of the lowlands, as well as thyme: Thymus alpestris and Austrian Thymus austriacus, occurring in the Sudetes and Carpathians.
Thyme are evergreen shrubs or low semi-shrubs with creeping or upright shoots, creating a dense turf.They have small, oval or even-shaped leaves and labial flowers gathered in inflorescences that develop in May, June and July. The species and cultivars differ in the color of the leaves and flowers as well as in the intensity of the fragrance. The most important are:
-Lemon thymeThymus x citriodorus with branched, upright or partially overlapping shoots, 10-30 cm high. Its leaves have a lemon scent. The most valuable varieties of this species are:
- 'Aureus' - with yellow-green leaves,
- 'Golden Dwarf' - a very hardy variety, 15 cm high, with golden-green, fragrant leaves,
- 'Gold Stream' - 10 cm high, with yellow-green leaves, 'Silver Queen' - 20 cm high, with silvery leaf edges,
- 'Silver King' - 25 cm tall, with silver-striped leaves, 'Bertram Anderson' - with yellowish leaves and sparse lilac flowers.
-Thymus hybridus 'Doone Valley' grows up to 10-15 cm, has ovate, smooth and leathery leaves of dark green-olive color with a yellow edge, especially effective in young growths, and is evergreen. The flowers, reddish in buds, then lilac-pink, open in May. The variety requires a light covering for the winter, as it sometimes freezes over.
-Thymus praecox Thymus praecox creates very low (5-cm) carpets thanks to its flat shoots. The flowers are gathered in capitate inflorescences on the rising tips of the shoots. The most effective varieties are:
- 'Albiflorus' - with light green leaves and white flowers,
- 'Coccineus' - with dark green leaves with a purple tinge and carmine flowers (both varieties are among the most beautifully blooming thyme),
- 'Pseudolanuginosus' - with round, gray-pubescent leaves and lilac-pink flowers, classified among the densest thyme, creates a beautiful felt sward,
- 'Pygmaeus' - dwarf variety with lilac-pink flowers, creating dense carpets,
- 'Bressingham' - 10 cm high, strongly fragrant, with gray-green leaves and pink flowers,
- 'Minimus' - a dwarf compact variety with lanceolate leaves and pink flowers.
-Thymus serpyllum is an evergreen shrub 5-15 cm high, very common on moors. The stems are thin, creeping, covered with small narrow lanceolate or elliptical leaves. Small pinkish-purple flowers emerge at the ends of the shoots, giving off, just like the whole plant, an unusually strong, aromatic scent. This thyme (fresh and dried) is used in the kitchen as a seasoning for many dishes (soups, sauces, casseroles, omelettes, etc.).
-ThymusThymus pulegioides is a 30 cm tall, sprawling turf-forming shrub.Its inflorescence shoots are sharp, 4-square, covered with thin, elliptical leaves with a strong, aromatic smell. It creates irregular, whorl, pink-purple inflorescences. The variety 'Splendens' has shiny reddish flowers.
-Thyme(Italian) or thyme Thymus vulgaris is an aromatic shrub 10-40 cm high with raised, gray-hairy stems, elongated or elliptical leaves, felt-hairy, and edges strongly folded to the bottom.Small, pale lilac, pink or white flowers are gathered in a cluster of flowers.'Compactus' - 15 cm high, it is compact and has gray-green and highly aromatic leaves.
Cultivation requirements
Thyme grows best in sunny positions, dry or only slightly moist, light, sandy, sandy loam or rocky ('Doone Valley') soils, poor in nutrients.Alkaline substrates suit them. They belong to completely or partially winter hardy plants.In snowless winters, the shoots of some species freeze, but in spring and summer the plants regenerate them quickly.
Using thyme
Low thyme carpets are an excellent cover for ornamental bulbous plants, as well as a beautiful background for junipers, low pines and summer-flowering perennials, e.g. lavender, yarrow, or macula. They also blend in interestingly with other ground cover plants, e.g. sedum plants, bluebells, cinquefoil, carnations and heather.
They are perfect for rock gardens, for walls, borders, for naturalistic plantings and for flower bedsThey can act as "green joints" between tiles, stones or cubes. They look great in balcony boxes, flower pots, in rock crevices and on various garden elements: boulders, sculptures, stairs.
