#Lime thyme ground cover full

English and French thyme are two strains often used for cooking. Most culinary thymes are these bushy types. Its strong aroma and flavor hold up well during cooking. The leaves are wide, rounded and separate easily from the stems. Overall, it’s a larger, more vigorous plant than other thymes. Rather, it sprawls and trails happily in between other plants and over edges of hard surfaces. It doesn’t spread out in a dense flat mat, nor does it create a tidy mound. herba-barona) is intermediate in habit between the creeping and mounding varieties. pseudolanuginosus), a similar species, stands out for its hairy leaves which give the plant a soft appearance and texture.Ĭaraway thyme ( T. ‘Coconut’, ‘Mint’ and ‘Nutmeg’ are three that are widely available. praecox with supposed resemblances to certain scents have been identified and now circulate throughout the nursery trade. At least six hours of direct sun are essential for thymes to thrive. ‘Elfin’ and ‘Minus’ are highly sensitive to wet conditions, so give them a quick-draining soil. It grows into a mat of gray-green foliage so tight and low that it resembles lichen. As with all creeping thymes, it makes an excellent filler in between pavers. praecox ‘Minus’ is an older compact variety with tiny blue-gray leaves and a rather lumpy, spreading habit.

Extra-dwarf selections of creeping thyme are also popular. ‘Pink Chintz’ is an especially vigorous selection with clean foliage and brighter salmon-pink flowers. praecox Coccineus has deeper pink flowers. Flowers are white and shades of pale pink. praecox has tiny rounded shiny leaves on wiry stems. It grows in a mat with foliage two to three inches high. praecox is the most common species of creeping thyme. They are suitable for groundcover in hot, dry areas.

#Lime thyme ground cover full

Quick drainage, full sun and good air circulation are the keys to success with creeping thymes. They have a prostrate habit and form thick mats of wiry stems covered in tiny green leaves. Their scents often dissipate during cooking, leaving no significant taste. Their leaves are edible, but their shoots are so short that they’re difficult to use. Creeping thymes tend to be primarily ornamental. It is simplest to consider thymes in two groups: creeping varieties (generally originating from Thymus praecox) and bushy varieties (originating from T. So the best way to choose a thyme is to use your eyes and nose to find one that you like. Their tendency to seed around and revert makes cultivars highly unstable. Their tiny flowers and leaves make them a challenge to identify. Baked Tilapia with Thyme and Green Olives.Grilled Rib-Eye Steak with Red Wine and Thyme.Roast Pork Loin with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme.But if you have a hot, dry spot where nothing else will grow, you’ll be surprised by how tough thymes can be. They all have tiny flowers, tiny leaves and wiry stems. Some make tidy mounds to a foot wide and a few inches high. Some thymes are no more than an inch high but continue to spread outward until a hard surface bars their roots. It’s easy to see why this tenacious plant impressed the Greeks. The ancient Greeks called it thimari, meaning “courage.” Today, we call it thyme. A little plant grows over the rocky hills of the Mediterranean basin, filling the air with its savory scent and covering the ground with thick mats of tiny green leaves.