Home » Finding Your Perfect Plants » Thyme (Thymus)

Thyme (Thymus)

Example of approximately what these plants look like when shipped. See the eighth photograph of any plant to see a photo of what it looks like when shipped.
Thyme is a low growing, highly aromatic velvety herb often grown as a groundcover. People love its soft hue of velvety green and willingness to crawl into cracks and between pavers and rocks and be tolerant of foot traffic.

Gardener chefs find its fragrant and flavorful foliage irresistible. Thyme will grow in somewhat dry, sunny conditions and once established, requires little water making it a perfect, easy-care groundcover.

See photographs comparing average sizes of some bare roots and potted plants
Product
Elfin Creeping Thyme {3 1/2 in. Pots min 25}
25 - 249: $6.27 each  |  250 - 999: $5.97 each
(Mother of Thyme) A velvety, fragrant, low-growing groundcover forming a mat ranging in color from moss to sage green, with lovely purple-pink blooms in early to late summer. Tolerates foot traffic.
Temporarily out of stock. Expected 03/03/2025.Email when available
Pink Chintz Creeping Thyme {3 1/2 in. Pots min 25}
25 - 249: $6.27 each  |  250 - 999: $5.97 each
A velvety, fragrant, low-growing groundcover forming a mat ranging in color from moss to sage green, with lovely magenta blooms in early to late summer. Tolerates foot traffic.
Temporarily out of stock. Expected 03/03/2025.Email when available
Thyme 'Coccineus' {tray of 72 cells}
1 flat of 72 cells: $192.24 ($2.67 per plant)
Thyme 'Coccineus' reaches 2-4" in height, with tiny, aromatic leaves and bright pink flowers. It thrives in full sun and partial shade, offering a fragrant and colorful addition to your garden.
In stock.
Thyme 'Highland Cream' {tray of 72 cells}
1 flat of 72 cells: $192.24 ($2.67 per plant)
Thyme 'Highland Cream' grows 2-4" tall, featuring creamy-green foliage and small, delicate flowers. It thrives in full sun and partial shade, adding a soft and fragrant touch to your garden.
In stock.

Specifications


General information about Thymus serpyllum (Thyme):
A highly multi-purpose perennial groundcover, Thyme is a low-growing, highly aromatic herb that is often grown as an evergreen ornamental groundcover. It grows well in the cracks between rocks and pavers or stepping stones.

Abundantly fragrant and flavorful, gardeners can’t resist running their fingers through the lacey foliage just to enjoy its lemony scent. Thyme grows especially well in somewhat dry, sunny conditions.

This elegant and low-maintenance groundcover can even be planted in sandy soil and once established it tolerates drought (though it grows more heartily with profuse watering), and light foot traffic. Owing to its acceptance of light foot traffic, your planting options are expanded beyond rock gardens to stepping stones, pathways, borders, edging and filling crooks and crevices as long as you give it well-drained soil.

Butterflies are fond of Thyme and you will discover that she is very disease resistant meaning, once established, you will be rewarded with years of fragrant, delicious, and timeless beauty. Prostrate by nature, Thyme takes on a slight mounding habit if planted in an area with only partial sun.

Thyme is most fragrant and flavorful when grown in dry, lean, well-drained soil. The foliage can be used for seasoning at any time and is easily dried. The blooms are also edible, and are tastiest when first opening. Sprigs of Thyme are wonderful stuffed inside poultry before roasting or snipped into salads for a citrusy punch on the palette.

Gardener Tips
Too much moisture can rot the plants, so you will find it does best with average water and well drained soil.

If you love to have a little design fun in your garden, select an area where you alternate pavers or stepping stones with plantings of Thyme to create a geometric pattern. Some gardeners even opt to write words with plantings of Thyme.

A fun project with grandchildren is to create a series of steps from concrete blocks. Inside each hole in the block, put a small layer of gravel, followed by a cupful of sand, then excellent quality soil and one Thyme plant.

Interesting Facts
Thyme is native to most of Europe and North Africa and as such is often used in those cuisines.

Thyme has been utilized for millennia. Due to its intrepid and vitality-laden symbolism to the ancient Greeks, athletes covered their arms with its oil before tournaments.

All varieties of Thyme have strong disinfectant properties, which brought about the cultivars' widespread use by Egyptians for embalming and during 20th century wartime to sterilize wounds.



Care
If using between pavers or stepping stones, it is recommended that you plant them such that the soil level is one to one-and-a-half inches below the top of the walking surface to allow room for the plants to compress when stepped on.
Deadheading spent flower heads is recommended to promote extended blooming.
It is best to stop harvesting Thyme a month before the first frost. This will allow the more tender stems to harden off some before the cold comes and will reduce the die-back over the winter.
General information that applies to all plants:
- Ground preparation, fertilization, pH
- Planting instructions
- Explanation and description of bare roots
- How to plant bare root plants
- If you cannot plant bare roots right away



Shipping
We do not recommend shipping this plant during the heat of summer. This means plant before July or after August.

You may order them, but understand that we will not replace or refund should any perish. (more)

You may specify a future ship date when you checkout.
FREE SHIPPING - Classy Groundcovers offers free shipping, and your plants never spend more than three days in transit.

Precise delivery - another benefit from shopping with us is that you know how many days delivery will take and can control exactly when your order will be shipped.

Shipping information that applies to all plants:
- Transit Time For Your Shipment (at most 3 days)
- When We Ship
- You May Specify Your Shipping Date
- Lookup Shipping Date and Tracking Information
- Special Delivery Instructions
- No Shipments To: AK, AZ, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA or internationally
- Changing Your Shipping Date
- Accepting Delivery
- Unpacking Your Order
- Returns


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