Thyme is one of the most useful and cheerful plants to have in a garden. I grow it not just in the herb garden, but in the gravel of the courtyard, in dry corners, in Cotswold stone walls and even on the top of staddle stones. It thrives in all these different areas because it likes dry, poor, well-drained sites and a sunny position. And I plant thyme alongside other plants which flower at the same time in early summer, just for its looks alone.
Thyme is now popular in all parts of the world, but it grows particularly well in the Mediterranean region, where you can see it thriving in the wild. The Ancient Greeks used it to make incense for their temples and the Romans, who are thought to have brought it to the UK, used it in room purifiers. Very soon, thyme’s antiseptic properties became famous. So the herb was used in posies, called tussie-mussies, made up of several herbs which were carried around by both men and women in the hope of warding off disease. The Romans also appreciated the flavour of thyme, adding it to cheeses and liqueurs. In the Middle East it was used centuries ago to become a vital ingredient in za’atar. Its gutsy taste also guaranteed its place with other herbs in bouquet garni and herbes de Provence.
COOKING
It can be difficult to decide which thyme plants to grow for using in the kitchen because there is so much choice from hundreds of different species. But I have ended up with several which are attractive and good in food. My most-used species are common thyme, which has an excellent flavour, and lemon thyme, which is added to many of my recipes from chicken and fish to summery sorbets. I also like the spicy orange thyme, French thyme and some variegated thymes. My tiny caraway thyme, which is only 2.5–5cm/1–2in high, is the best species to rub into beef before cooking. I also buy the Middle Eastern spice blend, za’atar, which combines powdered thyme with memorable hints of savory and oregano.
When I cut back thyme after flowering in June, I tie it into bunches and dry them over the Aga. When I need the flavour of thyme in a sauce, I hold the pan under the dried bunch, squeeze it and the leaves drop conveniently into the sauce. It is the perfect herb for bouquet garni, with bay and parsley, and I also make spicy olive oil using dried chilli, bay and thyme. As thyme is a hard herb, it should be added at the start of the cooking process to allow the depth of flavour to develop. But the softer, young leaves are also good pressed into soft goats’ cheese and I use them on tomatoes, sprinkled with black pepper and drizzled with olive oil for slow cooking in the oven.
GROWING
The main problem with thyme is that it can die during a cold, wet winter. I always advise people with heavy, clay soil to plant thyme with lots of grit or to put the plants in pots of lighter, well-draining soil and use fleece to protect them during the coldest months. Thyme can also get leggy and ugly. The best way to avoid this is to cut plants back hard after flowering. But if there is still a problem, thyme can be dug out and replanted in a deeper hole. You can also layer thyme when it becomes woody, weighing down the stem to maximise contact with the soil until it grows more roots, which is an excellent way of producing more plants.
Only a few species can be grown easily from seed, so thyme is best propagated from softwood cuttings, using new growth in spring or summer. I put the cuttings in a mixture of compost and grit, perlite or sand. But I do find my creeping thymes are easier to divide and often produce several new plants from one clump, to grow in gravel or in cracks in the paths.
Common thyme at 30cm/12in tall is ideal to keep clipped for edging beds. I grow most of my thymes at the front of my formal beds mixed with blue, pink and white hyssop. This is because when the thyme has finished flowering, the hyssop is just coming into bloom, which guarantees lots of colour in the garden.