• Aromatic
• Great for winter dishes
• Loved by bees
• Antiseptic herb

A thyme with a fantastic aroma that works well in winter dishes either fresh or dried. An antiseptic and antifungal herb due to the essential oil thymol, it can be used as an external wash for cuts and sores. In common with other thymes the flowers are alight with foraging bees and butterflies in the summer.

Plant care

• Height: 30-60cm
• Type: Hardy
• Aspect: Sun
• Soil: Well drained
• Flower colour: Purple
• Flowering period: June – August

Thyme is a plant that just has to be in full sun it can never really be too hot for this fragrant herb, the more sun, the better the flavour and aroma. It also needs a well-drained soil and if this doesnt describe your garden it is better to grow thyme in a pot, wall or rockery. Most thymes are pretty hardy and cope well with frosts, it is the wetness and lack of light over winter that can finish them off, I know from experience with my heavy clay. If you have one growing in full sun between one and seven in the afternoon in summer thats fantastic, but the direct sun is reduced to about three hours in winter and it just isnt enough. Upright thymes like this one should be cut back by about fifty percent after flowering to help keep it compact and bushy, but after a few years it will eventually become quite woody and at that point is better replaced.

Usage

One of the most widely used culinary herbs; this fragrant aromatic little gem is used to flavour many meat, fish and egg dishes, either by adding whole stems (which are later removed) where the leaves will melt from them into the dishes, or by stripping the leaves and flowers a good method for using in marinades. Orange thyme with its warming scent and flavour is a perfect addition to those winter dishes such as slow cooked pork or sausages in cider and marries well with the splash of cream that is often added at the end.
Thyme essential oil contains thymol which is antiseptic and an expectorant which makes it an excellent herb for cough syrups which helps kill bacteria and loosen phlegm. A tea made from thyme can be used as a gargle to soothe sore throats and as an antiseptic can be applied as a disinfecting wash for minor cuts and grazes.
Thyme flowers are adored by bees and butterflies and they work them tirelessly for their nectar.