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Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-585
Lemon Thyme
Thymus citriodorus
Lemon Thyme is a low, woody evergreen herb grown for its lemon-scented leaf, used fresh in salads, as a cooking flavoring, or brewed into a tea - it is the lemon note that makes it worth growing over common thyme. Its summer flowers draw bees and other pollinators, and beyond the kitchen it doubles as a low evergreen ground cover, a source of essential oil for perfumery, and a natural pest deterrent. It wants full sun and sharp drainage above almost anything else - wet soil rots the crown and kills it far more readily than cold does. It stays where it is planted rather than spreading, and since it is a hybrid, cuttings or division rather than seed are the reliable way to increase it true to type.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 5–8
- Soil
- Sand · Loam
- Moisture
- Dry · Well-Drained
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 6–8
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 6–12 in
- Mature spread
- 6–12 in
- Plant spacing
- 6–12 in
- Root type
- Fibrous-shallow
- Spread pattern
- None
Keep exploring
Similar plants
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Adzuki Bean
Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & H.Ohashi
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African Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
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Agrimony
Agrimonia eupatoria
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Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
Alfalfa is a deep-rooted perennial legume grown worldwide as one of the richest forage crops available, its taproot running six metres or…
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Amaranth Greens
Amaranthus tricolor
Amaranth greens are one of the few leafy vegetables actually built for peak summer heat rather than one that just tolerates it - sown once…
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Anise
Pimpinella anisum
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Herbaceous · USDA 4–9
The deeper layer
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- Primary
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Behind the record
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