Lemon thyme

Lemon thyme: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact, low subshrub 20–30 cm tall and 30–40 cm wide, with thin, woody stems.

Leaves

Small and oval, green or, in variegated forms, edged yellow or silvery white. They stay on the plant in winter.

Scent

Fresh lemon with a hint of thyme, strongest when you rub the leaves and just before flowering.

Flowers

Small, lilac-pink lipped flowers in heads at the shoot tips, in June–July.

Roots

Fine and fairly shallow. They cannot cope with wet soil.

Flowering: June–July · Harvest and fruit: May–September · Plants: April–May and September · Pruning: April and July–August

Why grow it?

• A versatile culinary herb: delicious with fish, chicken and vegetables, in marinades and in tea.
• Can be picked all year round, as it is evergreen.
• A first-rate plant for bees and butterflies while it flowers in June–July.
• Drought tolerant: in a sunny, poor garden it hardly needs any water.
• Releases its scent at every touch: lovely along a path or in a pot by the kitchen door.

Lemon thyme: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: the more sun, the stronger the flavour.
• Poor, well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay opened up with grit, neutral to chalky.
• Dry: wet feet, especially in winter, are fatal.
• Allow 25–30 cm between plants. In a pot, mix the compost with a third of sand or grit.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.4 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -15 °C)

Goes well with

• Lavender: The same sun and poor soil, and together a paradise for bees.
• Sage: Another Mediterranean culinary herb with grey leaves.
• Rosemary: Evergreen structure in the herb garden.
• Oregano: Flowers later in summer, so the bees find food for longer.

Lemon thyme: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September.

1. Plant in April–May or in September, when the soil is not too wet.
2. Lighten heavy soil with grit or fine gravel, or plant on a slight mound.
3. Dig a hole a little larger than the pot and set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot.
4. Space plants 25–30 cm apart.
5. Water well once at planting, then only in dry spells until it is established.
6. Mulch with gravel rather than compost: it keeps the base of the plant dry.

Care

Water

Only in long dry spells and in pots. Too much water is fatal.

Feeding

Not needed: the flavour is strongest on poor soil.

Harvesting

Pick 5–10 cm shoot tips all year round. The flavour is strongest just before flowering.

Mulching

A thin layer of gravel around the base keeps the stems dry and prevents rot.

Replacing

After a few years it becomes woody and bare in the centre. Replace it then with a young plant grown from a cutting.

Tip: Pick the shoot tips regularly, even if you do not need them straight away: the plant stays compact and goes bare less quickly. Plant it near the kitchen door and you will actually use it.

Lemon thyme: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April and July–August.

When: A light trim in April, and after flowering in July–August.

How:

• After flowering, cut off the faded flower stems and a third of the new growth.
• Never cut into the bare, old wood: it regrows poorly from there, or not at all.
• In April, snip off frosted or withered tips and shape the plant into a neat mound.
• Regular picking also acts as pruning and keeps it compact.

Caution: Do not prune late in autumn: the young shoots would not have time to harden off before winter.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In May–August: 5 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots, lower leaves removed, in sandy cutting compost. Keep them lightly moist; they root in 4–6 weeks.

Layering

In spring, press a low stem against the ground, cover it with a little sandy soil and wait for it to root. Then cut it free and plant it separately.

Seed

Not suitable: seed does not give reliable lemon thyme. Always propagate from cuttings or layers.

Lemon thyme: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −15 °C: protect young plants.

• Hardy to about −15 °C, provided the soil drains well. It survives an ordinary Belgian winter outdoors.
• Wet feet in winter are more dangerous than frost: plant in well-drained soil or on a mound.
• In hard frost you can cover it with a layer of conifer branches.
• In winter, move pots against a wall, out of the rain, and hardly water them.

Diseases and pests

• Root rot: The plant wilts and turns brown although the soil is wet. The cause is waterlogged soil: replant in a drier, well-drained spot.
• Bare and woody: After a few years the centre goes bare. Replace it with a young cutting; regular light trimming delays this.
• Green shoots: Variegated forms sometimes produce entirely green shoots. Cut them out, or they will take over.
• Rosemary beetle: Small, shiny beetles striped green and purple, and their grey larvae, eat the leaves. Pick them off or shake them out of the plant onto a newspaper.

Through the year

• January: Rest. Avoid wet feet.
• April: Plant. Light trim and remove frosted tips.
• May: Plant. Take cuttings. Harvest.
• June: Flowering. Pick just before flowering for the strongest flavour.
• July: Flowering, full of bees and butterflies. Trim lightly after flowering.
• August: Trim if not done yet. Take cuttings.
• September: Plant. Pot up rooted cuttings.
• October: Harvest. Move pots to a sheltered spot.
• December: Pick the odd sprig.

Edible and useful

Leaves (May–September)

Cut sprigs from May to September on a dry morning; just before flowering the lemon scent is strongest. Do not cut more than a third of the plant, nor into the old, bare wood. Lemon thyme tastes of thyme with a fresh note of lemon: lovely with fish, chicken, roast vegetables, in tea, in sugar and in biscuits.

Storing

Fresh sprigs keep for a week in a box in the fridge. You can dry them in small bunches upside down, but some of the lemon scent fades: fresh or frozen (loose leaves in a bag) is better. Lemon thyme stays green in mild winters, so you can pick it almost all year round.

Caution: In normal kitchen amounts, lemon thyme is safe. Never swallow the essential oil. People allergic to the mint family (mint, sage, oregano) may also react to thyme. During pregnancy, breastfeeding or when taking medication, do not drink large amounts of thyme tea every day without medical advice.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Lemon thyme sugar (Other · ± 200 g · 10 min + 1 week)
• Roast chicken with lemon thyme (Dish · 4 people · 1 hr 15)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• Lemon thyme is a cross between common thyme and broad-leaved thyme, which is native here. Despite its scent, it is not related to the lemon tree.
• Its lemon scent comes from aromatic compounds such as citral, which are also found in lemongrass and lemon balm.
• Thyme belongs to the same family as mint, sage, rosemary and lavender: many of these plants have fragrant leaves and lipped flowers.