![]() Don't simply shear ityou want to remove the topmost portion of each branch but leave growth on every stem. This will greatly improve its vigor and branching. And it's evergreen above zone 6, so it makes a nice winter companion in warmer climates to the ornamental cabbages and kales, the snapdragons and pansies.Įarly each spring, cut this plant back to about half its size. Thyme will wend its way around existing plants in the garden without choking them out, making it a nice choice for filler in a garden that has a few bare areas. The stems are closely packed and short, standing almost straight up. Thyme is a very pretty flowering plant, however, so we recommend that you also plant a stand of spreading, magnificently flowering Mother of Thyme in the garden to satisfy the bees as well as your own desire for blooms.Įxpect this thyme to reach 12 to 18 inches high and about 24 inches wide. (The leaves begin to lose their flavor as the stems grow woodier with age.) If allowed to go to flower, it is a marvelous bee attractant, but if you want to use the foliage in cooking, pinch off the buds as soon as you see them, because the flavor deteriorates when the plant blooms. This plant is a woody perennial (technically a shrub), which will bring you four to five good years of foliage before it should be replaced. Where would Thanksgiving stuffing be without it? (Not to mention Simon and Garfunkel's hit song "Scarborough Fair".) English thyme is the variety most commonly used in cuisine, as the small, gray-green leaves are packed with flavor and easy to harvest by letting the stems dry (after cutting from the plant) for a few days, then simply stripping the leaves. ![]() Thyme is essential in French cooking and has become a mainstay of American cuisine as well. It even makes a fine decorative (and fragrant) edging for any sunny spot. ![]() Compact, it fits on the kitchen windowsill without constant pinching. Low-growing and dense, it fills in empty spots in the border nicely. A pest repellent, it's a natural way to keep the veggies and flowering plants looking good. English thyme is a mainstay of any self-respecting herb garden, of course, but it's also a useful plant elsewhere in the garden. Welcome one of the easiest, longest-lived, and most rewarding herbs of all into your garden.
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