Thymus Serpyllum, Wild / creeping Thyme
Basic form of the well-known culinary herb, a creeping dwarf evergreen shrub.
Spread 60cm. Height 5cm. Requires well-drained soil and full sun.
Flowers June-July.
Surface sow or lightly cover seed in Spring in a greenhouse or cold frame. Grow on for first winter under glass / greenhouse, planting out the following year in late Spring or early Summer, after danger of frost.
Succeeds in dry soils.Plants are hardy to about -15C.
A good companion for most other plants, and is a good carpeting plant in a rockery.
Edible uses
Leaves - raw in salads or added as a flavouring to cooked foods. Thyme retains its flavour well in long slow cooking. If the leaves are to be dried, the plants should be harvested in early and late summer just before the flowers open and the leaves should be dried quickly.
An aromatic tea is made from the leaves.
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