Thyme: care, planting

Thyme has a synonym, often called thyme. This culture has a very pleasant warm spicy aroma. Thyme grows in the form of a dense carpet, leaves and flowers have a very beautiful appearance. This culture is often used as an ornamental flowering plant, planted as a ground cover.

Thyme goes well with other crops such as hyssop, short carnation. Thyme will look good in a container or in a small flower bed. The spicy bright aroma of this herb will leave few people indifferent. It is especially pleasant to prepare thyme-based tea, it warms up perfectly in winter.

Thyme: varieties and its main varieties

This culture is a representative of the Yasnotkov family. In this series, there are more than four hundred species that grow practically in all countries of the former Soviet Union. In the European part, there are about fifty species. There are about forty of them in the Siberian and Caucasian regions. As a rule, these are compact shrubs with slightly raised shoots. The most common and popular is creeping thyme and common thyme. Common thyme is a herb that is widely used for medicinal purposes. The leaf plates are not large, their inner part is slightly pubescent. The stems reach about fifteen centimeters in height.

Among the varieties of common thyme, you can find a variety of colors, for example, the Alba variety blooms with white flowers, Slendens pleases the eye with flowers of a thick red hue. If you choose among the dwarf varieties of thyme, then you should pay attention to such a variety as Elfin. It reaches a height of only five centimeters, grows quite strongly and densely, grows in the form of a pillow with a maximum diameter of fifteen centimeters.

Creeping thyme in old Russian times was called the Bogorodskaya grass. It is precisely this type of thyme that is known to most as thyme. This culture is a perennial, the stems are creeping in nature, quite closely intertwined. The leaves have a cylindrical shape and form a rather beautiful carpet on the soil surface. This type of thyme has many varieties of color, it can be white, pink. Peduncles in their height grow by about fifteen centimeters. Culturally, this thyme has been cultivated for many centuries.

There are types of thyme that have a distinct aroma. lemon tone.

Lemon-smelling thyme.

For the winter period, such a culture must be covered, this variety is quite demanding on heat. Sudden temperature changes can have a detrimental effect on plants. In their height, the stems of the plant grow up to thirty centimeters, the leaves have a rounded shape, a beautiful variegated color. This plant is perennial, from time to time it needs to be trimmed in order to control the degree of thickening, as well as to give a decorative shape.

Flea thyme.

It is a small plant growing in the form of a bush. Shoots are dense enough. The leaves are small, reaching from one to one and a half centimeters in size, the flowers are quite dense, they have a pink color with a lilac tint. This thyme begins to bloom in June.

Dorfler.

Culturally, such thyme is rare. As a rule, it is found on the territory of the Balkan countries. It has a very beautiful decorative appearance, but it is not resistant to low temperatures.The flowers are pink in color with a gray tint. The leaves are pubescent, the hairs are white, curved.

Subarctic thyme.

This type of thyme is found, as a rule, in the eastern part of Europe, usually in forests. This plant is perennial, grows like a shrub, and is compact in size. Where there is a lot of such thyme, sod are formed. The stems of the plant are not thick, they are directed straight. The inflorescence has a lilac color, flowers in the form of heads. Flowers resemble bells in appearance, foliage and shoots are pubescent. This thyme has a very pleasant bright romance, which suggests that they contain essential oils in large quantities. Such oils protect plants from dry weather and active rays of the sun.

Early thyme.

Culturally, you can find two types of such thyme:

1) Minor. This shrub is quite low, the plants are intertwined quite tightly. Lush bush. The leaf plates are small in size, the flowers are also not very noticeable. Its beautiful decorative appearance lies in its bright light greenish coloration and pubescent texture. This thyme is a striking addition to small flower beds, alpine hills, rockeries. This thyme looks very beautiful near a reservoir with stones of various sizes.

2) Thyme false fluffy. This variety grows in a flower carpet. During the stage when plants are in bloom, thyme is able to change. It is very interesting to watch how medium-sized pubescent leaves are covered with rather large lilac flowers. This variety gives a lot of flowers, green leaves are almost invisible.

In fact, you can choose any variety of thyme, it is unlikely that this plant will disappoint you at all. This culture is not too whimsical to care for, has a beautiful decorative appearance, fills the surrounding air with aroma. In addition, thyme is often used for medicinal and culinary purposes.

Thyme: planting rules

When choosing a place for planting thyme, it is recommended to give preference to a well-lit, warm area. In a shaded area, shoots begin to stretch, and growth slows down. If there are no other options, then you can plant thyme in light partial shade.

The acidity of the soil for the best result of growing thyme should be at a neutral level, or alkaline. It is best to give preference to light soils that have good drainage and ample supply of nutrients. Too heavy soils with a high clay content and excess moisture are not suitable for thyme. Plants will be hot in such soil, the drainage layer is a vital measure for the normal growth of thyme. It will not be superfluous to lay a mulch layer around the plants. To do this, you can use gravel, crushed stone, small pebbles.

Thyme is planted in early spring, as well as in early September. There should be enough time for the plants to take root properly. Thyme is able to survive the winter period quite well. If there is a lot of snow in winter, then you do not need to use a covering material. But if the snow cover is too small, then it is better to additionally insulate your plants with the help of spruce branches.

This culture multiplies in different ways. With the help of seeds, thyme multiplies in the event that you need a lot of seedlings. In an open area or in greenhouses, seeds are planted in the spring. After the first sprouts appear, you need to carefully look so that the weed does not compete with young plants. When the plants grow a little, they need to be thinned out. Sometimes thyme seeds are planted as seedlings at home in special containers. When the plants grow older and more robust, they are transplanted to an open area.As for the composition of the soil for thyme, it should not be heavy, consist of peat and sand, in a one-to-one ratio. If you sow thyme at home, then after the first sprouts appear, the temperature should be reduced. At the same time, you need to water your plants from time to time.

Young borings can be sprayed a little with water, especially when the soil surface becomes dry. If you sow seeds early enough, or use seedlings, then the thyme bloom will delight you in the first season. In other cases, flowering occurs in the second year after planting.

Many gardeners choose to propagate thyme using cuttings. To do this, you need to cut off a green stalk from the stem that is spreading. After that, part of the plant is planted in an open area, you can also plant a stalk for growing in a greenhouse. Propagation by cuttings of thyme is possible throughout the growing season. Keep in mind if you are propagating creeping thyme varieties with cuttings that are very low, then the cuttings should be no more than five centimeters. The easiest way is to plant them under a jar, observing moderate watering. Make sure that the soil is not waterlogged. Otherwise, the root system may start to rot. After two weeks, the cuttings will form a root system.

Thyme can be propagated by dividing the bush. To do this, you need to dig out a bush, carefully divide the root system, and plant these parts in prepared planting pits.

Thyme care

As for the further care of the plant, thyme is not too whimsical crop. It takes some compost to fertilize the soil. It will not be superfluous to use horny flour. This culture does not show any special requirements for feeding. After the plants have faded or in the spring, it is necessary to shorten the plant. This will give the thyme a decorative shape, and the plantings will look denser. Pruning should be done to that part of the plant that has a lignified structure. Typically, this is about two-thirds of the length of the shoot.

When it comes to watering, thyme is also not capricious. However, if there is a long dry and hot weather, then from time to time it is necessary to water it, since the plant needs strength and energy for a beautiful flowering. Thyme has a strong immune system, so it is rarely attacked by various harmful insects and diseases.