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.