Which Thyme Where?
With so many wonderful cultivars available it could be difficult deciding which thymes to grow!
These are my recommendations, based on my experience of growing thyme for many years.
[Click on pictures for links to Plant Portraits.]
The Top Twelve
Easy to grow, great flower colours, reliably hardy, readily available and ideal for the beginner.
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Thymus Coccineus Group |
Thymus 'Doone Valley' |
Thymus 'Pink Ripple' |
T. pulegioides 'Bertram Anderson' |
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Thymus pulegioides 'Foxley' |
Thymus pulegioides 'Kurt' |
Thymus pulegioides 'Tabor' |
Thymus 'Redstart' |
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Thymus serpyllum 'Annie Hall' |
Thymus serpyllum 'East Lodge' |
Thymus serpyllum 'Minor' |
Thymus serpyllum 'Pink Chintz' |
Twenty Thymes for the Collector
Also relatively easy to grow and good doers, but some are only available from specialist nurseries.
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Thymus 'Bressingham' |
Thymus 'Caborn Lilac Gem' |
Thymus 'Caborn Pink Carpet' |
Thymus 'Caborn Rosanne' |
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Thymus 'Caborn Wine and Roses' |
Thymus 'Duftkissen' |
Thymus × faustinoi |
Thymus 'Golden King' |
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Thymus herba-barona |
Thymus 'Lemon Beauty' |
Thymus 'Massa' |
Thymus 'Porlock' |
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Thymus pulegioides 'Hans' |
Thymus 'Rasta' |
Thymus 'Rosedrift' |
Thymus 'Rosemary's Early Red' |
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Thymus serpyllum 'Conwy Rose' |
Thymus serpyllum 'Goldstream' |
Thymus 'Snowdonia Rowena' |
Thymus 'Spicy Orange' |
The Best Culinary Thymes
My recommendations from personal use.
Thymus vulgaris 'Lucy' has very few flowers, even in a hot summer.
In cooler, wetter summers it may not flower at all, so puts all its energy into producing leaves.
It is therefore ideal as a cut and come again thyme.
Roger Bastin's T. 'Lemon Supreme' is the strongest lemon scented thyme available and
T. 'Caborn Fragrant Cloud' and T. 'Caborn Grey Lady' are more aromatic than T. 'Fragrantissimus'.
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Thymus 'Caborn Fragrant Cloud' |
Thymus 'Caborn Grey Lady' |
Thymus 'Culinary Lemon' |
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Thymus 'Lemon Supreme' |
Thymus 'Marjorie' |
Thymus vulgaris 'Lucy' |
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The Best Ground Cover Thymes
Some of the low growing thymes can have thuggish tendencies and are therefore useful as attractive ground cover plants
in sunny areas of the garden.
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Thymus 'Caborn Pink Beauty' |
Thymus ciliatus |
Thymus 'Glenridding' |
Thymus 'Jekka' |
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Thymus longicaulis |
Thymus 'Mountain Select' |
Thymus pannonicus |
Thymus 'Rosa Ceeping' |
The Best Thymes for Winter Colour
Some thymes have attractive red or orange growing tips in the winter, but only when growing in the garden,
not in pots in a greenhouse or cold frame.
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Thymus 'Golden King' |
Thymus 'Pink Ripple' |
T. pulegioides 'Bertram Anderson' |
Thymus pulegioides 'Foxley' |
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Thymus pulegioides 'Goldentime' |
Thymus serpyllum 'Russetings' |
Thymus 'Silver Posie' |
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