How to grow creeping thyme
Al you need to know about growing creeping thyme, in our Grow Guide.
Plant Size: Height: 10 Spread: 30 |
Creeping thyme is a dwarf, mat, or cushion-forming plant with tiny, evergreen, aromatic leaves and masses of tiny flowers borne in summer that are a magnet for bees. Flower colours include pink, red, purple, as well as white, and a range of leaf colours including grey-green, dark green, and variegated with yellow or silver. The name ‘creeping thyme’ does not refer to any one species but rather is used as an overall term for all those which are prostrate, mat or cushion-forming in habit.
Some thymes are native to the British Isles, including Breckland thyme (Thymus serpyllum), which grows on heathland in Norfolk and Suffolk, and wild thyme (Thymus polytrichus), which grows widely in varied sites such as cliffs, walls, and meadows.
Thyme is edible and widely used to add flavour to many dishes, including soups and casseroles. The best thymes for culinary use are easy-to-harvest bushy ones such as Thymus vulgaris. Thyme contains the volatile oil thymol, which is a natural antiseptic. Thyme is also good to use as an insect repellent by crushing and rubbing leaves onto exposed skin.
How to grow creeping thyme
Plant creeping thyme into fertile, free-draining soil in full sun and well-drained soil and keep watered until established. The compact and neat habit of creeping thyme is ideal for many different sites around the garden: creeping thyme between pavers, in paving crevices, and path edges, works particularly well where the foliage is lightly trodden on to give off its wonderful scent. The growth is good at suppressing weeds once established, which takes around three years to form dense cushions.
Where to grow creeping thyme
Many thymes originate from Mediterranean regions, which is a useful indicator of their preference for sun and well-drained soil, preferably with a neutral to alkaline pH. Because creeping thyme is low-growing and spreading, growing a maximum of 5-10cm high and 20-30cm across, it suits a variety of sites including rockeries, raised beds, border edges, window boxes, living walls, green roofs, and shallow pots.
How to plant creeping thyme
Plant potted plants of creeping thyme in spring, or autumn in mild areas, in soil that drains freely and with no danger of waterlogging in winter. To grow in pots, use soil-based potting compost and add coarse grit to boost drainage. Sprinkling seed of creeping thyme on the ground is rarely successful, although raising plants from seed in pots or trays under cover is a good way to produce a large quantity of plants. See how to propagate creeping thyme, below.
How to care for creeping thyme
Newly planted creeping thyme needs regular watering during dry spells for the first few months of the growing season. If no rain falls, water thoroughly two to three times a week, though take care not to over-water because creeping thyme is susceptible to waterlogging.
Over winter, autumn-planted creeping thyme benefits from protection from heavy rains or hard frosts in its first year.
Once established, no regular care is needed apart from occasional trimming of older plants, or to restrict growth that spreads too far over paths and paving.
How to propagate creeping thyme
Propagate creeping thyme by division, cuttings, or from seed, although most cultivated varieties of creeping thyme do not produce seed. The first method is the easiest, especially as cuttings of the small shoots are fiddly to handle.
Divide creeping thyme in summer and early autumn. Simply detach parts of the plant with some roots intact and replant them immediately, watering thoroughly. You can pot up smaller rooted pieces to grow on under cover, to plant out the following spring.
Take cuttings from mid to late summer. Select the current year’s shoots that are just starting to become woody, and cut the longest pieces you can find (sometimes this is still only a couple of centimetres). Push them into gritty, moist compost and cover with a clear plastic bag to maintain humidity. You can take the bag off when you spot signs of growth, which means the cuttings have taken.
If your thyme does produce seed, collect it when ripe and store it over winter to sow in spring. Sow in shallow trays of moist seed compost, mixed a little perlite. Cover with a thin layer of the same mixture and keep at about 13°C, where seed should germinate within three weeks. Transplant seedlings into individual small pots or modular trays and grow under cover for at least several months until well established, then harden off and plant out.
Pests and diseases of creeping thyme
Creeping thyme is not susceptible to any pests or diseases but may suffer from brown, dead patches or death of the whole plant if the soil does not drain freely, especially during winter. Creeping thyme in winter is particularly susceptible to problems caused by waterlogging, when the rate of growth slows or stops, and rainfall levels are high.
Once established, creeping thyme needs no regular care apart from occasional trimming of older plants.
Advice on buying creeping thyme
- Creeping thyme is sold in the alpine plant section of nurseries and garden centres
- Occasionally creeping thyme may be sold as a herb, although this section tends to house bushier rather than creeping varieties of thyme
- Always check plants for signs of damage and disease before buying
Where to buy creeping thyme online
Varieties of creeping thyme to grow
- Creeping thyme, Thymus serpyllum – native to the British Isles and perfect for growing in a rockery or in pots. Height x Spread: 10cm x 40cm
- Red creeping thyme, Thymus serpyllum ‘Coccineus’ – one of the best thymes for summer colour, with deep pink flowers and bronze green foliage. H x S: 10cm x 40cm
- Woolly thyme, Thymus pseudolanuginosus – fuzzy green foliage and occasional pink flowers. H x S: 5cm x 60cm
