Thyme — garden Cinderella…
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Bogorodskaya grass (better known as thyme) has long been revered by our ancestors as a fragrant, spicy and medicinal plant.
She «worked» as a doctor, cook, flavoring agent. And in modern gardening, she is given a place in the decor of the landscape.
For me, thyme is a basic garden plant because:
- unpretentious,
- growing rapidly,
- is evergreen,
- smells amazing.
Briefly for each item. Sowing thyme, you can forget about it. Practically no care is required for him — a maximum of cutting the tops to update the bush. Thyme (another name for this herb) loves sunny areas and tolerates drought and frost equally easily. The exceptions are individual, moreover, rare varieties.
Thyme is also referred to as: Mukhopal, Borovoy pepper, Frankincense, Tsebrik, Chavor.
Thyme grows really fast. Twigs in contact with the soil take root, self-sowing sprouts densely and productively. Seedlings transplanted in spring easily take root in a new place and form branched bushes by autumn.
Thyme does not freeze in winter and does not drop leaves. He hibernates under the snow. True, in frost, the color of the foliage acquires a gray-lilac hue.
This fragrant plant is simply created for garden paths, paths and resting places.
Be sure to plant it so that when walking, step on the tips of the branches. And then a walk through the garden will be enveloped in the aromas of the Mediterranean, and you will want to breathe deeper into the air saturated with spices.
And thyme, along with other «culinary» herbs, is planted somewhere near the barbecue or summer kitchen, so that they are always at hand.
POPULAR VIEWS
- Growth area: northwest of the Mediterranean, south of France, Krasnodar region.
- Flowering period: June July
- Color spectrum: pale lilac.
- Height: up to 50 cm.
- Growing conditions: sunny places, light fertile soils.
- Peculiarities: perennial shrub, is a spice, a source of essential oils, a medicinal plant, a valuable honey plant.
creeping thyme (thymus sepryllum L.), thyme, Bogorodskaya grass.
- Growth area: temperate climate of Eurasia.
- Flowering period: end of May — August.
- Color spectrum: lilac flowers.
- Height: up to 15 cm.
- Growing conditions: sandy soils, sunny places.
- Peculiarities: perennial shrub, spice, medicinal plant, honey plant, source of essential oils, spreads along the ground.
Thyme lemon-scented (Thymus x Citrodorus (Pers.) shreb), lemon flavor.
- Growth area: natural hybrid native to France.
- Flowering period: June August.
- Color spectrum: the leaves are green with a border of yellow or white, the flowers are light pink.
- Height: up to 30 cm.
- Growing conditions: sun, light fertile well-drained soil.
- Peculiarities: not frost-resistant, requires shelter for the winter,
Thyme early (thymus praecox Rseudolanuginosus)
- Growth area: Europe, Caucasus, Turkey.
- Flowering period: all summer — depends on the variety.
- Color spectrum: lilac, pink, white.
- Height: up to 5 cm
- Growing conditions: fertile, drained, alkaline or neutral soils, sunny places.
- Peculiarities: dwarf perennial with small pubescent leaves, used as an ornamental crop has more than two dozen varieties.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW
Thyme loves the sun, although it can grow in shady places. But then its branches will be very elongated, and the curtains will be loose and shapeless.
For tea and flavored oil, thyme inflorescences are harvested, and for use in cooking, only greens are cut, dried, and bundled.
As a spice, only leaves (without stems) are used in dishes.
Thyme is contraindicated in pregnant women, children under 2 years old and people suffering from thyroid diseases.
THYME IN GARDEN DESIGN
The ideal background for thyme is stones.
The color of the rocky background is chosen depending on the color of the inflorescences: for lilac and white — dark and red stones, for pink — gray.
In the garden, thyme is a frequenter of alpine slides and rockeries. It is planted on the south side of the stones.
Since thyme is a groundcover, its place is in the foreground of the mixborder and in the border planting. In the photo above: a blooming lilac thyme bush is located in front of an equally fragrant bush rosemary.
If your alpine slide is made of simple crushed granite, then creeping ground covers, including thyme, will be the best plant for it. In a year or two, they will spread over the stones and veil too sharp corners, giving the exposition a more noble look.
As well as jaskolka, thyme can be planted on retaining walls, but it is recommended to moisten the masonry with watering from time to time during the dry period.
In the photo above — an ideal place for relaxation: the site is lined with stones, in the crevices between which a dwarf species of thyme was planted. An ideal place for an evening outdoors.
Landing in a natural landscape is the most suitable for thyme. Here it looks absolutely organic and an elegant carpet from this ground cover gently envelops the natural relief.
COMPATIBILITY IN SHAPE AND COLOR
The constant companions of thyme in the landscape are low-growing ornamental shrubs — varieties of Thunberg barberry, dwarf arborvitae and junipers, Fortune’s spindle tree, as well as alpine carnation curtains, a close relative of the sapling, rocky alissum, sedum sedum, bearded iris. All of them are similar in terms of watering requirements and also love sunny hillocks.
And to accommodate a company of hostas, geyher, ferns (pictured below), you need to carefully consider the landing site or provide regular automatic watering.
REPRODUCTION AND TRANSPLANT
Thyme reproduces excellently by self-sowing. True, in this case it blooms the next year. But this is the easiest way to get a large number of seedlings at no cost.
To get flowering in the year of planting, thyme is grown through seedlings. Sowed in February-March, transplanted to a permanent place in the first half of May.
Many write about the successful cuttings of this plant. This method doesn’t work out well for me at all, because I often forget to water or shade in time. But I can recommend another way — rooting layering.
Thyme is transplanted in spring or early autumn, but for this it is advisable to choose young non-lignified plants.
Adults will tolerate the transplant better if grown as a pot culture and carefully removed from the pot along with an earthen clod.
In one place, thyme grows no more than five years, after which a transplant to a new one is required.
The best predecessor for him will be root crops.
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