Plant · P-584

Common Thyme

Thymus vulgaris

Common Thyme is a low, woody-based evergreen herb from the dry, rocky Mediterranean, grown for a leaf that holds its flavor even through long cooking - the reason it goes into slow-cooked dishes rather than just garnishes. Its lilac summer flowers are worked heavily by bees and butterflies, and the growing plant is even planted among brassicas because it is reported to deter cabbage root fly. It needs full sun and sharp, dry drainage - wet winter soil and root rot are what actually kill it, not cold - and it grows woody and unproductive after just a few years, needing regular cutting back or replacement from cuttings. In sustained extreme summer heat and humidity it also tends to decline, so it is often treated as short-lived in hot climates.