General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 5a -28.9 °C (-20 °F) to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 6-12 inches
Plant Spread: 12 to 18 inches
Leaves: Evergreen
Fragrant
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Lavender
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Underground structures: Taproot
Uses: Groundcover
Culinary Herb
Suitable as Annual
Edible Parts: Leaves
Eating Methods: Culinary Herb/Spice
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Pollution
Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Days to germinate: 14-21
Depth to plant seed: 1/4 inch
Start indoors
Can handle transplanting
Other info: Sow 6-8 weeks before last frost. Transplant to individual containers when seedlings have at least 2 pairs of leaves. Harden off 1 week before planting out 12 inches apart.
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Pollinators: Moths and Butterflies
Flies
Bees
Containers: Suitable in 1 gallon
Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil

Image
Common names
  • Common Thyme
  • Garden Thyme
  • Winter Thyme
  • Thyme

Photo Gallery
Location: in my garden in Gent, Belgium
Date: 2013-06-03
Location: South Jordan, Utah, United States
Date: 2018-12-07
Location: San Antonio Botanical Garden, San Antonio, Texas -- Bad Internet right now; If in wrong place, feel free to comment. Photos might jump sometimes
Location: Mercer Botanical Garden  Houston, Tx
Date: 2014-05-19
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2019-06-24
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2017-06-04
This picture of the tiny flower has an even tinier spider hiding
Photo by kylaluaz
Location: Pacific Northwest, zone 8
Date: 2015-11-21
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2019-05-02

Courtesy of Diane's Flower Seeds
Location: Gulf-coast Texas
Date: 2015-04-05

Photo Courtesy of Secret Garden Growers.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: My garden
Date: 2017-07-09
Location: My garden
Date: 2017-07-09

Date: 2020-04-28
Location: Botanical book
Date: 14.07.2018
Botanical illustration of Thymus vulgaris

Date: 2023-05-14
  • Uploaded by gwu

Photo courtesy of Santa Rosa Gardens

 Photo Courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Used with permissi
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Heathcote Ontario Canada
Date: 2021    summer
Thymus vulgaris       very well established after 20 years
Location: Austin ,TX
Date: February

Courtesy of Diane's Flower Seeds
Location: Pacific Northwest, zone 8
Date: 2015-11-21
Self sowed
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by valleylynn (Oregon City, OR - Zone 8b) on Nov 21, 2015 3:08 PM concerning plant:
    This culinary thyme self-sows easily in my Oregon, zone 8, growing conditions. It is my favorite "go to" cooking herb in my garden. I have it growing in a raised bed with sandy loam soil, topped with chicken grit. Seems to be very drought tolerant in our hot and dry summer months of July, August, and September. The plant in the photo taken 11/21/2015 is 4 years old and seems very happy planted in one of the cinder block holes. I imagine the roots have run very deep down the two stacked blocks.

    Even in fall and winter the leaves have a nice strong thyme flavor and scent.
  • Posted by Permastake (Toronto Ontario Canada - Zone 4b) on Jan 18, 2022 1:39 PM concerning plant:
    Planted Thymus vulgaris over 30 years ago among the front house garden walkway stones. It now appears in every front garden flower bed, including container tubs as well as throughout our front and back lawn. Fortunately I like the summer small blooms throughout the lawn. It is difficult though to get it out of the flower beds because of the dense roots. it is now strangling the peonies.
    Take caution where this is planted.
  • Posted by wildflowers (North East Texas - Zone 7b) on Aug 28, 2014 4:14 PM concerning plant:
    This is a low-growing perennial herb with woody stems. I've had the same plant grown from seed for at least three years now. It's slowly expanding as it grows and competes with the evil Bermuda grass that I'm fighting in my cottage garden. So far, my little plant is holding its own, although it needs some assistance from me to pull the grass away. Wonderful culinary herb used in meats, fish, stews, and sauces or added to herbal vinegars and oils. It also has medicinal uses and makes a good tonic for sore throats, coughs, and chest colds. The Greeks used thyme as a purifying incense to cleanse the air in temples and homes.

    Update: The Bermuda grass finally overtook the thyme. I now grow thyme in a container.
  • Posted by ZGadev (Varna,Bulgaria) on Jul 14, 2018 8:17 AM concerning plant:
    In bulgarian мащерка.
    The thyme herb is a semi-shrub, forming concave or loose tufts, high up to 10 (30) cm. The stems from the base are branched four-armed. Leaves opposite to short handles or squirrels, elliptical ovoid or oblong to linear, with punctuated glands, nude or fibrous, on the edge predominantly at baseline long-lasting. The flowers of the thyme are pink or red, gathered in bold headstones on the tops of the twigs. The crown is two-sided, the lower lip is deeply triple. Fruit dry, falling into 4 nuts. Typically, the leaves and the top of the stem with the colors are glandular-fibrous. The herb blooms June - September.
    Spreading - Thyme grows on dry, rocky and hot spots, pastures and pastures. Spread across the country (Bulgaria) up to 2000 m above sea level. Meet across Europe.
  • Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on May 25, 2013 3:38 AM concerning plant:
    "Thymus vulgaris (common thyme, garden thyme or just thyme) is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe from the western Mediterranean to southern Italy. Growing to 15–30 cm (6–12 in) tall by 40 cm (16 in) wide, it is a bushy, woody-based evergreen subshrub with small, highly aromatic, grey-green leaves and clusters of purple or pink flowers in early summer.

    It is useful in the garden as groundcover, where it can be short-lived, but is easily propagated from cuttings. It is also the main source of thyme as an ingredient in cooking and as an herbal medicine."

    Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

Plant Events from our members
p1mkw On February 2, 2015 Plant emerged
p1mkw On January 29, 2015 Seeds sown
lovesblooms On January 15, 2017 Seeds sown
w/s
3AmigosGarden On September 1, 2017 Seeds sown
3AmigosGarden On August 30, 2017 Obtained plant
Pima County Seed Library
Harlantk On October 7, 2018 Obtained plant
Green Thumbers close out on herbs
Georgegrowstomatoes On April 5, 2020 Seeds sown
Planted seeds in pots of 2-3 to see whether the amount of seeds per pot made a difference to successful germination.
antsinmypants On February 23, 2022 Seeds sown
antsinmypants On May 5, 2021 Plant emerged
antsinmypants On April 27, 2021 Seeds sown
Plug flat two row 10
paleohunter On March 16, 2024 Seeds sown
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