Creeping thyme has often been used for decoration and alpine slides, because care for it after planting is completely unnecessary - the plant is able to grow on its own. This is very ornamental plant familiar from the time Kievan Rus and was once used by pagans as a sacrifice to the gods.
Creeping thyme is also called thyme, and this name is familiar to many, because it is a very effective drug and is used both individually and in the complex therapy of various diseases.
Most often, thyme is taken in the form of decoctions for diseases of the bronchopulmonary system - bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, when liquefaction and sputum removal are necessary. In addition, the extract of this plant is the main active ingredient in Pertusin, a cough medicine.
In addition, thyme in combination with other medicines used to treat prostatitis, adenoma, to get rid of alcoholism and increase the tone of the body. Therapeutic effect creeping thyme is due to the presence of essential oils and phytoncides in its leaves.
Growing thyme creeping
The only requirements for planting thyme are maximum sun, a fertile and non-acidic bud. Otherwise, this plant is completely unpretentious - resistant to drought, frost and heat.
In order to plant this medicinal and ornamental plant on your site, you will either need to purchase a cutting or grow it from seeds by sowing seedlings. The plant reproduces by all possible ways, and therefore even a novice florist can easily cope with this.
Cuttings - green or lignified, planted in wet sand and covered with a film or a transparent bag, carrying out daily spraying. In three weeks the first roots will appear, and in a month the young plants will be ready to take their place in the garden.
If it is not possible to propagate thyme vegetatively, then this can be done by sowing seeds. In bowls or containers with nutrient soil mixture, seeds are sown, mixed for uniform distribution with river sand. After that, the containers are sprinkled with water, covered with glass and placed on a sunny windowsill. This should be done in March in order to get strong, viable young plants by the beginning of summer.
In the description for creeping thyme, there is information when to plant it - you can do this for six months from May to October. The main thing is that before the onset of real frosts, the plant can take root well in the ground.
Using thyme in the garden
Having decorated any corner with the help of this plant, you can forget about working in this place for a long time. After all, apart from removing weeds, thyme does not require anything. Spring, when creeping thyme flowers adorn borders, is the most best time to love them. But even after the cessation of flowering, this mini-shrub does not lose its decorative effect.
The plant looks very nice between the joints of the plates on garden paths or by the pool. 
After all, instead of fighting weeds in these places, you can simply plant decorative thyme and admire it all summer season.
And although creeping thyme is a ground cover plant, it will look interesting in and in vertical gardening with the help of cascades. And group plantings with the same creeping plants will be very unusual and interesting.
It is noteworthy that from several varieties of thyme that differ in the shape and color of foliage, you can create excellent garden compositions without resorting to the use of other plants.
Fragrant tea with thyme… What could be more wonderful than this drink on a cold autumn evening? Thyme (thyme) - undersized creeping plant, lignified shoots, pink, purple, white or yellow flowers. The plant contains a huge amount of essential oils, has a calming effect, in addition, with its help you can create a unique landscape in the garden. The most advantageous flower looks in rockeries, alpine slides. The cultivation of thyme is more common in the southern mountainous regions, but, nevertheless, summer residents of the middle lane also do not forget about this amazing flower.
Choosing a place on the site for growing thyme
The flower loves warmth and a lot of sunlight, it is preferable to plant it in well-lit, open glades. In the shade, it develops much worse, but it's okay if the flower bed is located under the crown of openwork trees that scatter the sun's rays. These trees include mountain ash, sea buckthorn.
The soil should be light and rich in nutrients. When preparing a flower bed, the depleted substrate on the site should be replaced with a more fertile one or humus should be added at the rate of 4 kg per 1 m². Thyme prefers soil that is neutral in composition, and even sour. Peat is added to the soil to increase acidity.
Mineral fertilizers also have a beneficial effect on the development of the plant:
- potassium salt,
- ammonium sulfate,
- superphosphate,
- ammonium nitrate.
When planting thyme and caring for it, highly concentrated fertilizers are used, focusing on the instructions, or complex mineral compositions are used.
Sowing seeds and growing seedlings
The flower is planted in the spring, in the market or in the gardening department you can buy seedlings already grown in the nursery or buy seeds. Young plants grow willingly and quickly, so growing seedlings on your own is not difficult.
Sowing begins in the first half of March. To do this, prepare boxes with drainage holes and fill them with a nutrient substrate. You can purchase a ready-made mixture for growing vegetable or flower seedlings. The seeds are laid out in a box, after which they are sprinkled with a thin layer of earth and watered. For successful growth, flowers need to create greenhouse conditions, so the boxes should be covered with a plastic “cap” or clear glass should be placed on top. Further cultivation thyme should take place at an air temperature in the room not lower than + 20 ° C.
Further, the gardener needs to be patient, the first entrances will appear only on the 15th day, and at first they will grow slowly and reluctantly. In the 20th of May, the grown seedlings are planted on the site. Before this, it is advisable to harden the plants, taking them out a few days before planting for a couple of hours in the open air. When making a flower bed, a distance between rows of 35 cm should be observed, and between specimens - 20 cm.
Thyme - planting and care in the future will not be too difficult. If the spring turned out to be early, then the seeds can be sown immediately in open ground. This is done in the period from 5 to 30 March. However, in this case, seedlings will have to wait a little longer, at least 25 days. Sowing is carried out with a solid carpet, and as soon as the seedlings sprout, the plantings are thinned out. During the summer, the plant will reach an impressive size, but, unfortunately, it will bloom only the next year.
Features of caring for thyme
The steppe flower does not like strong cold winds and tolerates drought well. However, in order to grow strong and beautiful plant do not neglect some of the rules of cultivation.
Watering and loosening the soil, fertilizing
For successful cultivation thyme will require constant monitoring of soil moisture levels. It is better to water more often, but in moderation. Despite the fact that the plant is able to endure drought, the inflorescences will immediately lose their beauty. They will look drooping, the color will become noticeably paler. Dampness will also have a detrimental effect; in acidic soil, the flower will begin to hurt and may even die. Thyme does not tolerate weeds, so you will have to weed the flower bed regularly. To provide the roots with good aeration, the soil is loosened with a garden hoe.
Thyme responds well to top dressing, but use fresh mullein or bird droppings Not recommended. From organics, only wood ash or well-rotted manure. After planting thyme, care begins with fertilization. The first feeding is carried out 10-15 days after planting seedlings in a flower bed, at this time it is best to use urea. In the second year of life, you can begin to make complex mineral compositions.
As a rule, thyme does not need decorative pruning, but adult plants that block other flowers can be shortened slightly. Overgrown creeping shoots are cut with scissors; a small garden pruner is used to remove lignified branches.
Preparing for winter
In the wild, plants endure all the vagaries of the weather. But garden specimens, spoiled by the attention of the gardener, in winter time may freeze. In October, after leaf fall, it is recommended to warm the flower garden. Especially if the winter is expected to be frosty, but with little snow. The plant is low, only about 35 cm, so it will not be difficult to do this. Landings are spudded to a height of about 20 cm and covered with a layer of mulch (fallen leaves, dry wood shavings), and covered with spruce branches on top. The layer of mulch should be about 10 cm. As soon as the snow falls, you can additionally throw a snowdrift on the flower bed.
Harvesting
For some, growing thyme is a way to decorate garden plot, but many do not miss the opportunity to harvest. The collection of grass occurs during the flowering period. There is a belief that a flower cut on the Trinity has healing powers.
For further use, branches with big amount leaves, they are cut at a level of 6 cm from the ground. The plant can be easily injured, so when cutting, you need to use a sharply sharpened knife. The cut grass is dried in a dark but well-ventilated place, spread out on a dry and clean cloth. You can tie thyme into bundles and tie it to a beam in the attic.
Reproduction of thyme vegetatively
When propagated by cuttings or dividing the bush, planting thyme and caring for it in the future is also not difficult. The flower is able to grow in one place for at least 5 years, but then it is recommended to rejuvenate it.
The division of the bush is carried out in early autumn or spring. Having dug up the rhizome from the ground, it is cleaned and divided into several parts, but in such a way that a sufficient number of shoots and roots remain on each fragment. Next, the plants are planted in prepared landing pits in the usual way.
The cutting method is even easier. Creeping annual shoots are cut into 8 cm long and placed in a jar of water. After a while, young roots will appear. A seedling can be grown at home by planting in a container with a nutrient substrate or temporarily dug in a greenhouse.
As you can see, even a steppe plant can be successfully grown in a temperate warm climate. All that is required from the gardener is maximum attention and a little patience.
Video how to grow thyme
Thyme, Bogorodskaya herb or thyme, has long been considered a symbol of strength, health and courage. This herbaceous plant useful in any household due to its pleasant appearance, as well as gastronomic and healing properties. The article is devoted to the description of this remarkable representative of the flora, tips for caring for it and using it for various purposes.
Thyme flowering shoots have long been widely used in folk medicine. His healing properties explained by the presence of a spectrum useful substances in its composition - vitamins, tannins, bitterness, thymol, flavonoids, mineral salts and oleic acid.
- Essential oils and decoctions from Bogorodskaya grass are used as a diuretic, analgesic, bactericidal, blood purifier and antipyretic. In addition, the little doctor will help you digest heavy food, restore sound sleep, cure a sore throat, overcome sinusitis, and even improve male potency.
- Infusion from thyme is extremely effective in disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea, flatulence, fermentation).
- Ointments, compresses and lotions from thyme will relieve those suffering from pain in the joints, rheumatism and skin diseases from acute pain.
It is curious that thyme often helps out even when modern antibiotics are powerless; often its extract is present in pharmacological preparations.
Thyme has a general positive effect on human body: as soon as it gets inside, the heart rate normalizes, efficiency increases and vegetative abnormalities disappear - therefore, it is often included in the daily diet in the form of tea.
The action of thyme is so wide that it is used even in cosmetology in the manufacture of shampoos and conditioners against weakened, dry and falling hair.
Despite all beneficial features, it is necessary to remember about contraindications for thyme. It is not recommended to take it for diseases of the liver and kidneys, stomach ulcers, myocardial infarction and individual intolerance to the components. Also the herb should be used with extreme caution for the treatment of pregnant women in the later stages. Before using thyme, you should consult with a specialist.
Gallery: thyme (25 photos)
How to grow thyme from seeds (video)
Thyme in cooking
Today this shrub is cultivated in many countries of the world, including in the south of Russia. For what purpose? The fact is that thyme is a very fragrant herb, so it is actively used in the culinary arts as a spice that reveals and enhances the natural taste of dishes. Sometimes young greens are eaten, starting from the second year of the thyme's life. As mentioned above, tea made from fresh or dried leaves shrub is also very popular.
Thyme seasoning is quite spicy and bitter, so very little is added to dishes. However, even a small amount of healing spice will help the body better absorb fatty foods such as pork, lamb, game and lard. For the same reason, thyme is often used in smoking.
It is customary to put fresh thyme leaves in fish and chicken dishes and in soups with legumes. Besides, the spicy taste of thyme goes well with dishes of potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables. As a spice, thyme pairs well with parsley, bay leaf, and marjoram.
To date, there are a huge number of recipes using this aromatic herb, ranging from snacks ( sauerkraut) and ending with desserts.
Thyme in garden decor
The plant has not only medicinal, but also highly decorative qualities, thanks to which it is often planted in borders and on rocky hills. Silvery leaves of some varieties will decorate any flower bed or will be a great edging for garden paths.
Thyme is recommended to be planted along paths, near benches and arbors, also because it emits a pleasant aroma. Besides, some creeping ground cover varieties can be used in place of traditional turf- thyme tolerates mechanical stress very well. The same applies to the space between the stones on the paths: the thyme will cover it with a dense, thick layer, and upon contact with the shoes it will smell stronger.
Thyme looks especially beautiful in rockeries when you need to plant trees on a vertical surface or build a cascading planting. The shrub is in harmony with undersized carnation and hyssop.
Where does thyme grow and what does it look like?
A herbaceous subshrub or shrub, thyme has spread around the world from North Africa. In total, the genus includes about four hundred species that today grow in Eurasia and Greenland. On the territory of Russia, thyme can be found in the Caucasus, the Urals and Siberia. The groundcover develops well in open areas, so savory is a frequent visitor to forest glades and edges, meadows; often grows in the mountains.
What are the characteristics of a plant? Usually thyme, a member of the Lamiaceae family, looks like a creeping perennial shrub with woody stems, reaching a height of no more than 35 cm. This plant has small leaves(3-8 mm) and spike-shaped inflorescences with the same small flowers of lilac, purple, pink, purple or snow-white shades. , decorating the area with its colorful dense carpet and attracting insects with aroma.
Description of types and varieties of thyme
Despite the impressive number of varieties in the genus, only a few of the species are successfully cultivated on the plots for the sake of decorative properties. Below are the most popular thyme varieties in floriculture and their varieties.
Thyme officinalis (common)
A low shrub with a tetrahedral, strongly branching ascending stem and ovate opposite leaves up to 10 mm long. dark green color. Inflorescences - whorls of several five-membered small flowers of light purple, less often - white (Alba variety), or bright red (Splendens). This variety is decorated with them in June and July.
It is a subspecies of medicinal thyme. . A distinctive feature is the aroma of lemon, giving it its name, and yellow young foliage, which subsequently fades to light green. Lemon thyme - decorative look, easily conquering territory with favorable conditions. For the density of the bush, it is recommended to cut the variety regularly, and cover it for the winter season. Demanded varieties: Golden Dwarf, Silver Queen, Golden King.
Thyme early
Groundcover low slow-growing plant with small light leaves and purple-colored flowers. In floriculture, two varieties of early thyme are widespread.: pubescent Minor with juicy foliage and Pseudolanuginosus, striking in the density of inflorescences, completely hiding the green from the eyes.
It was this variety that gave the second name to thyme, however, strictly speaking, thyme differs from other species: its height does not exceed 15 cm, the stems are cylindrical, creeping, with hairy shoots in the lower part. Petiolate, lanceolate leaves are attached to the stems, more than 1 cm long. In early July, pinkish inflorescences bloom on peduncles. Thanks to breeding, many varieties of thyme have been bred, including carmine and white flowers, as well as variegated leaf color.
Thyme subarctic
The natural distribution zone is the forests of Eastern Europe. It's undersized perennial shrub, forming sods and decorated with small lilac bells. Leaves and stems are pubescent.
Dorfler's thyme
In floriculture, it is used less frequently than relatives, since it is not very resistant to frost. It is found in the wild in the Balkans. Characteristic features: gray-pinkish inflorescences, blooming in May, and curved pubescent leaves.
Siberian thyme
A steppe variety common in Siberia and Mongolia. It is distinguished by a woody lower part of the stems and a creeping root. Inflorescences - numerous, pink, adorn the plant for almost the entire summer season.
Flea thyme
The main advantage of the variety is a modest but charming flowering.. In June, over the leaves of an elliptical shape, flowers of a delicate lilac-pink hue, collected in heads on the tops of the stems, bloom.
mossy thyme
An ornamental variety popular as a low groundcover: its small leaves are intertwined under lilac dense inflorescences, forming a dense carpet only 1-2 cm high.
The variety is an unpretentious semi-shrub with thin stems, small foliage and axillary semi-whorls-inflorescences with flowers up to 8 mm long. exudes strong, spicy aroma . Prefers slopes of mountains and rocks, sea and river banks.
Thyme Propagation Methods
Like many other plants, thyme can reproduce in three ways: by seed, vegetative (cuttings) and by dividing the bush itself. Let's consider these methods in more detail.
Technology of propagation by cuttings
The method is convenient in that it can be carried out at any time during the growing season of the shrub. It is enough to cut off the stalk from a young shoot and plant it in a greenhouse or on another bed under a jar for growing, monitoring the level of humidity. The cutting should take root in a couple of weeks.
Growing thyme from seeds
This method is used when an impressive amount of planting material is needed. Seeds can be sown both immediately in open ground, and seedlings can be planted first. When breeding seedlings, a substrate is taken with the same content of sand and peat; after the emergence of sprouts, you need to lower the temperature and regularly moisten the seedlings. Thyme will give the owner a flowering in the first year, if you resort to early sowing or seedlings.
Medicinal properties of thyme (video)
How to grow thyme at home in a pot
Thyme can be easily grown both in the garden or in the country, and at home.
- To do this, you need a small pot - no more than fifteen centimeters in diameter - and the right soil mixture. The substrate for thyme should be well drained (at least 3 cm layer) and moistened. As a soil, a substrate for cacti with black soil added to it in a ratio of 1 to 3 is suitable.
- Seeds are laid on the surface of the earth, and 5 mm of soil are placed on them.
- Then the seedlings are sprayed from a spray bottle, covered with a transparent material and placed in the southern part of the house in a place where direct sunlight does not penetrate.
- After the guaranteed emergence of sprouts, the cover is removed and weak seedlings are removed.
In order for thyme to regularly give juicy foliage, you need to constantly cut it off, preventing it from blooming.
Growing thyme outdoors
thyme - extremely unpretentious plant, and there are almost no problems with it. However, like any other inhabitant of the garden, he loves attention and care. Here are a few rules that will help thyme flourish and grow rapidly.
Technology and planting dates
To make the thyme feel like in the conditions wildlife, for its landing choose enough sunny areas, sometimes with slight penumbra. The shrub will gratefully respond to light, fertile soils with good drainage and low acidity. It is also recommended to protect the plant from drafts. The technology of direct landing is simple and does not require special skills. It is recommended to plant thyme in spring or autumn.
Spring day for planting thyme seedlings should be sunny, ideal temperature— +13°С; there should also be no threat of frost. For a seedling, a hole is dug, twice the size of an earthen coma of a plant in a pot. Part of the pre-prepared mixture of earth and sand is poured into the hole in equal proportions. The seedling is removed from the container, its rhizomes should be straightened; then you need to plant thyme in the hole at the same depth as it was in the pot. The remaining mixture is poured into the pit, crushed and properly spilled with water.
Watering
Thyme tolerates drought much better than waterlogging, so the watering regimen should be extremely moderate, slightly increasing only during flowering and growing new shoots. In the case of a rainy season, the plant does not require watering at all.
top dressing
Thyme practically does not need fertilizer, since it can be done right at the time of planting by putting humus in the hole. Starting from the second year of life, thyme can be fed annually at the turn of spring and summer with any mineral complex diluted in water.
Protection against diseases and pests
As a rule, a medicinal shrub is very rarely infected with diseases or attacked by insects. The single most likely problem is root rot due to waterlogging. In order to avoid the death of the plant, the irrigation regime should be monitored and regular mulching, as well as loosening the soil. However, it should be taken into account that the plant may still be attacked by a meadow moth, sandy lingerling, weevil or aphid: in these cases, insecticides will come to the rescue.
How to propagate thyme (video)
Thyme is an easy-to-care, but very rewarding plant that can be grown in your apartment, house or garden. Thyme will become a reliable friend for various kinds of ailments and decorate any lawn with its colorful carpet.
Estimate
Name: "Thymus" is the ancient Greek name for a plant that is mentioned by Dioscorides and Theophrastus. Probably comes from ancient Egypt, where it was used as a ritual. Russian name"Bogorodskaya grass" - apparently, from the spirituality, the pleasant smell of the plant.
Description:
the genus includes about 400 species distributed in the temperate zone of Europe, Asia and North Africa. A very polymorphic genus, represented in the former USSR by almost 200 species. The largest number of species grows in the European part (over 50), almost the same number of species is found in Siberia and the Caucasus (about 40). In the Far East - 6 species, including one species in Sakhalin and the Kuriles.
Semi-shrubs with procumbent or ascending woody stems, ascending or erect herbaceous flower-bearing shoots. The leaves are entire, small, ciliated, mostly on petioles, arranged oppositely. The flowers are small, lilac, pink or white, collected in capitate or discontinuous spike-shaped inflorescences. The fruits are elliptical or spherical nuts.
| Thyme lemon-scented- Thymus x citriodorus (Pers.) Schreb.
Natural hybrid T. pulegioides x T. vulgaris, common in southern France. Perennial. The leaves are small, ovate or rounded. Flowering shoots 15-30 cm tall. The flowers are light pink. Blooms in June-July. In culture since 1596. Older individuals need to be trimmed from time to time so that the shrubs remain thick and tidy. The plant is susceptible to lower temperatures and requires winter shelter. Variety examples: "Sylvester Queen"("Silver Queen") - see photo on the left, leaves with white border; " Golden Duarf"("Golden Dwarf) - see photo on the right, leaves with yellow spots; "Golden King"- green leaves with a yellow border; Bertram Anderson- green leaves with yellow spots. |
 thyme- Thymus vulgaris L.
Homeland - Northwestern Mediterranean. Flowering shoots 5-15 cm tall. The leaves are cobwebby pubescent on the underside. The flowers are pale purple or almost white. Used since ancient times as a medicinal. Collective view, it covers several miniature subspecies. In addition, several varieties of different colors were obtained: for example, white " Alba", carmine red" Splendens", Red " Coccineus", and others. Dwarf undersized variety" Elfin" only 3-5 cm high, forms a dense, compact cushion with a diameter of 10-15 cm. Combining colors, you can get unusually effective pictures. Photo EDSR. |
 creeping thyme- Thymus serpillum L.
Distributed in the European part of Russia, Siberia, the Far East, Central and Western Europe. Perennial plant up to 15 cm tall with cylindrical, creeping stems and shoots protruding hairy in the lower part. Leaves petiolate, lanceolate, up to 1 cm long. Peduncles 5-15 cm tall. The flowers are pinkish-lilac, collected in a capitate inflorescence. Blossoms in July - August 25-30 days. Fruiting. In culture since the 16th century. It has varieties with white, pink and carmine flowers, as well as variegated forms. The photograph shows the wild form. Photo by Sofia Zhelezova
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| Thyme early- Thymus praecox Opiz
In the culture of the variety. |
 Thyme subarctic– Thymus subarcticus Klok. & Host.
Distributed in the north of the forest zone of Fennoscandia and Eastern Europe, south to Lake Ladoga. It is usually found in the forest part of the region in dry places, on sands, rocks, along the banks of reservoirs. Low perennial semi-shrub, forming tufts. The stems are thin, prostrate, with erect branches 2-4 cm tall. The inflorescence is loose, the flowers are purple or dark purple, bell-shaped. Plant of dry habitats. Twigs are usually pubescent. The leaves are small, dense, with hairs at the base, with more or less curved down edges, depending on the dryness of the soil and the heating of the sun. Blooms in July, August. The whole plant smells strongly and pleasantly, thanks to the essential oil it produces, which also protects against overheating and reduces water loss through evaporation. Photo from:
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| Japanese thyme– Thymus japonicus (Naga) Kitag. Creeping low plant with small pink flowers and a strong spicy aroma. The range is East Asian continental-island: Russia (Sakhalin, usually, and Moneron, the Kuril Islands - Kunashir; Ussuri district), Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu), the Korea Peninsula, North China, Mongolia. Grows on rocks and stony sunny slopes of mountains, sea and river banks. Xeropetrophyte. Semi-shrub with thin stems and small elliptical leaves. It varies greatly in morphological features. Numerous pink flowers are collected in axillary semi-whorls. Flower length 7-8 mm. Blossoms in July-August, seeds ripen in September. In SakhKNII since 1967, grows in an open place on the ridges. Unpretentious. Blooms in August. Goes green in winter. When sown before winter shoots appear in June next year. Schroeter (1970) notes the medicinal properties of thyme: the medicinal raw material is an herb that contains essential oil(thymol, cymol, etc.), tannins and bitter substances, flavonoids, gum, ureolic and oleanolic acids. The infusion and liquid extract are used internally as an expectorant, less often as an analgesic for radiculitis and neuritis. Thyme extract is also part of pertussin, used for bronchitis, whooping cough and other diseases of the upper respiratory tract. good plant for planting in rocky gardens in open drained places. |
Location: prefer sunny places. Plants withstand partial shade and even shading, but in such conditions they stretch and bloom poorly.
The soil: areas with light, fertile, well-drained soil that is alkaline or neutral.
Landing: can be carried out at any time - the plants are unpretentious and drought-resistant, but not in late autumn, as the plants should take root well before frost.
Care: it is not necessary to fertilize the plants; at best, you can add a little ripe compost or horn flour to the soil. If thyme bushes are trimmed regularly, they will be dense and compact. Do this in early spring or after flowering. The shoots are shortened by about two-thirds - to the lignified part. Watering is necessary only in dry spring and summer, when there is an active growth of young shoots and the plants are preparing for flowering. There are no diseases and pests on thyme. Harm to plants is caused only by excessive moisture on heavy clay soils in prolonged, rainy weather and winter warming. The best measure to combat this evil is good drainage and mulching the soil around the plants with fine gravel.
Reproduction:
seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush. The most simple reproduction is by dividing the bush. For division, the bush is dug up, the roots are disassembled and the plant is carefully divided into parts. Twigs creeping along the ground are separated during the entire growing season and planted immediately on permanent place or separately - for rearing.
 Thymus cilicicus Photo by Evgeny Tarasov |
 Thymus cilicicus Photo by Evgeny Tarasov |
 Thymus lotocephalus Photo by Anna Petrovicheva |
 Thymus borysthenicus Photo Mishustin Ruslan |
 Thymus "Highland Cream" Photo of Polonskaya Svetlana |
 The photo Menshova Alexandra |
 Thymus seravschanicus Photo Epictetov Vladimir |
 Thymus Marschallianus Photograph by Alexander Naumenko |
 The photo Andreeva Nadezhda |
More compact varieties with a dense cushion can be quickly propagated by cuttings 3-5 cm in size, rooting them in spring and until mid-summer in greenhouses or under glass jars. The main thing at the same time is to prevent waterlogging, otherwise the cuttings will rot. They root in 2-3 weeks, almost 100%. It is better to cut annual, already lignified shoots.
The seed method of reproduction allows you to get a large amount of planting material in one season. Thyme is sown in spring in greenhouses or on ridges. Its seeds are small, seedlings are poorly visible, therefore, with soil crops, you need to carefully monitor their development, not allowing weeds to drown out seedlings. You can also grow seedlings in room conditions or greenhouses, sowing seeds from March to early May.
The substrate should be light, air and moisture permeable, contain sand and peat in a 1:1 ratio. Seeds are distributed in grooves or scattered. Sowing is carried out to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. With sufficient humidity and a temperature of 20-35 degrees. shoots appear on the 7-10th day. Seedlings appear in open ground in 3-4 weeks. In room conditions, seedlings are immediately transferred to a cool, well-lit place.
In the first month, carefully monitor the moisture content of the substrate. It should be moderate, watering is necessary only when the top layer dries up, otherwise the seedlings will easily rot. Frequent shoots are pulled through, leaving a distance of 2x2 cm, and young plants are planted in free places or dive into separate cups. At the age of 2 months, seedlings already form compact bushes and are suitable for planting in a permanent place. Plants bloom in the second year, with early sowing, flowering can be achieved in the fall of the first year.
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Thymus caucasicus |
 Thymus collinus Photo Kravchenko Kirill |
 Thymus serpylleum var.lanuginosum Photo by Marina Shimanskaya |
 Thymus kotschyanus Photograph by Kirill Tkachenko |
 Thymus marschallianus Photograph by Kirill Tkachenko |
 Thymus praecox subsp articus Photograph by Kirill Tkachenko |
 Thymus taljievi Photograph by Kirill Tkachenko |
 Thymus vulgaris "Snow White" Photograph by Kirill Tkachenko |
 thymus serpylleum Photograph by Kirill Tkachenko |
Thyme is a frost-resistant, unpretentious plant. Under the snow cover, it easily endures the winter. On the open places in conditions of little snowy winter, shelter is necessary with spruce branches, which also protects plants from spring sunburn.
Usage: as a carpet plant, they are used in borders, group plantings, on rocky hills and rocky areas. Taste, aroma, size, color and abundance of flowers - the list of advantages of the plant does not end there. Tiny golden and silvery-white leaves of some varieties, primarily lemon-smelling thyme, will also decorate the flower bed. The bushes give off their fragrance when touched, so if you want to indulge in a cloud of spicy smell, just run your hand over them.
You can plant thyme in a decorative stone trough. In a small pot, thyme, stunted cloves, navel and hyssop will do very well.
A perennial plant, half-shrub creeping thyme forms beautiful, dense arrays. Sufficiently branched stem has numerous branches with opposite leaves. Flowers, like leaves, are small, purple with red streaks. The flowering period begins in early summer, and fruiting occurs at the end of the warm season. Creeping thyme is popularly called thyme and endows it with many homeopathic properties. Can be found in steppe zones and southern slopes of Europe, Siberia, the Far East. The plant is unpretentious, perfectly tolerates dry and cold weather.
Use in landscape design
Cultivated thyme is in demand by gardeners for its decorative properties and unpretentiousness. Most often it is used for arranging rocky gardens, as a frame for group plantings, as a living border on a Mediterranean-style plot, as a filler for free areas between slabs or beds. Compositions from several varieties of thyme are also popular. For example, a combination of variegated forms with a variety of anthocyanin color. This does not lose its decorative effect even after flowering.
Thyme is often used as an alternative to grass for lawns. Its original flowering, pleasant aroma and unpretentiousness allow summer residents not to worry about the state of the green area on the site, in their long absence. Thyme perfectly tolerates the absence of moisture, the influence of direct sunlight, and is resistant to mechanical stress.
Thyme plays an important role in the design of the borders of paths and paths. Soft lilac carpet looks extraordinary and erases the boundaries of everyday life in landscape design. Such an unpretentious, at first glance, decoration is indispensable for, and a rocky garden.
Combination with other plants
The noble green of thyme creates a favorable backdrop for many garden plantings with bright colors. Among them:
- chrysanthemums;
- daffodils and others.
The thyme is planted between plants with a creeping carpet or as a frame for a composition. In other stone ensembles, a garden planting often "adjacent" to. It can be both large trees (pine, spruce, thuja), and undersized representatives of the culture ( undersized varieties juniper, dwarf pine).
Species and varieties
Every year, breeders bring out more and more new varieties of thyme. And at the moment there are more than a hundred of them. The most famous and sought after:
- Dorfler. This variety is heat-loving, does not tolerate low temperatures.
- early. Undersized appearance, with a fluffy texture. The flowering period is characterized by the formation of a thick carpet, small flowers of lilac color frame small leaves.
- Siberian. This groundcover has a well-developed root system. Multiple inflorescences of bright pink color delight contemplators almost all summer. The predominant type of reproduction is vegetative.
- Japanese. Decorates group plantings not only with a bright pink color, but also pleasant aroma. Flowering begins in August and lasts 3 weeks.
- creeping. A groundcover forming a dense veil of vegetation adorned with white and pink flowers.
Reproduction, planting and care
Plant propagation
The culture propagates by seeds, seedlings, cuttings and dividing the bush. Due to very small size seeds in open ground are not immediately planted, but sown in a container, after mixing them with sand. It contributes to the uniform distribution of seeds on the surface of the soil. Before germination, the container is covered clear glass. It is better to propagate thyme with cuttings in the summer.
Before the first frosts, the garden planting has time to take root and calmly endure the winter. You need to cut off no more than 10 cm from the top of the shoot. The stalk is planted in a large container with river sand. Be sure to cover with glass. young plant provide regular watering from a spray bottle. After 4 weeks, the cutting is ready for planting in a permanent place.
Selecting a landing site
For all its unpretentiousness, the plant, nevertheless, needs to be paid attention. When choosing a place for planting, preference should be given to a sunny area, with fertile and light soil. If the soil is acidic, then it must be fertilized before planting.
Slaked lime, ash or dolomite flour helps to reduce the level of acidity. Heavy soil is improved with sand and digging.
No weed seeds should remain in any kind of soil. Thyme does not tolerate such competition well. For better growth and development, the plant is provided with dry soil. It does not tolerate moisture stagnation. To do this, a drainage layer is poured into the hole (fragments of brick, gravel, pebbles, crushed stone).
Landing
The best time to plant seeds is early spring.. If the possibility of transplantation appeared later, then it is important to plant a seedling with a well-developed root system. Landing preparations begin as soon as the snow melts. The soil is dug up and fertilized with urea. Seeds are scattered over the surface, then covered with a thin layer of river sand. The beds should be separated from each other by at least 40 cm. The plant grows rapidly and requires free space.
After sowing, the plot is covered with a film to form a greenhouse effect. After 2 weeks, the first shoots will appear. Seedlings are planted from mid to late March. The most suitable seedlings are those who are 2.5 months old. The process of planting seedlings is similar to seed. The beds are also sprinkled with sand, and seedlings are planted in it. They do not require additional care.
Thyme Care
The plant needs regular pruning.. The bushes are shortened in the off-season (spring and autumn) to the very base. This contributes to compaction and the formation of the desired form of greenery. A healthy plant is not susceptible to disease and the harmful effects of insect pests.
Video - Planting and Growing Creeping Thyme or Thyme