Do you have THYME?

  

Thymus vulgaris "common thyme"

Thymus vulgaris or common thyme is usually the one you use for cooking. It has found a home in the medicinal world as well as a great garden companion. It has been considered an almost “perfect” herb because of its flexibility. It can mimic other herbs, fill in chinks in rock gardens (the creeping varieties) create a scented path in your yard or (one of my favorites) is to create a unique fairy garden setting for children.  

Its name ‘Thymus’ has been traced to the Greek word for ‘courage’ which is appropriate since the smell has been known to be invigorating to the senses, hence making you feel indomitable!  There is information that the word ‘Thymus’ is also Greek for ‘to fumigate.’ This was due to the herb’s use in helping chase stinging insects from homes by burning the herb and waving it around in the air. Gardeners also planted a patch of herb for the garden faeries, much like we would put out bird houses! ¹

Thyme has also been a symbol of courage when women would give knights their scarf that had a sprig of thyme placed over an embroidered bee. It has been used to flavor liqueurs and cheeses and it was one of the ingredients used to help preserve mummies in ancient Egypt!   It has been used as a tea to combat shyness or other nervous disorders including nightmares. When used as a companion plant for vegetables such as eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes it is thought to help repel cabbage worms and white fly. (I’m trying this one this spring, my neighbor has an awful white fly problem but I can't convince her to do anything about it. She calls them her 'night moths'. Not sure why...)

Thyme seeds

Thyme has also been used as an antiseptic and stimulating property in lotions and bath concoctions and is now widely used as an antifungal and antibacterial. As an aromatic you can use the dried flowers and leaves as an insect repellent in storing linens by incorporating them into sachets. The compound thymol which gives thyme its main odor is used in colognes and soaps.

Thyme is a perennial, loves the sun and heat and drier soil, but don’t allow it to bake dry. If your area is very hot, I’d recommend planting thyme in an area with afternoon shade. Thymus vulgaris is bushy, growing to about 2’ tall. The leaves are very small and as it ages it can become woody stemmed. Thyme needs a well drained soil or pot as they can be susceptible to fungal diseases if they get too wet.  They are also susceptible to spider mites, although I haven’t seen this problem as much. As with all plants avoid watering the leaves as this can create a fungal problem or if it is a hot day, can burn the leaves a bit. Also, watering the leaves can actually reduce their fragrance. I would plant a few starter plants together to create a larger plant much sooner or if you are sowing seeds, several seeds close to each other. This way if you wish to divide the plant to use elsewhere (or give as a gift) you just dig it up carefully, and divide the plant at the roots. Take care that you don’t manhandle the roots too much as you can shock them or break them and your plant will have trouble recovering. Fertilize sparingly and do so with an organic such as blood meal or seaweed extract.

Woolly thyme

The smaller creeping varieties such as woolly thyme, elfin thyme or the creeping thyme² grow to about 4 inches tall. The woolly thyme actually looks a bit fuzzy with silvery leaves and pink flowers. The creeping thyme is denser with dark green leaves and darker pink blooms. The elfin thyme is much more compact and a bright green. There are many variations on these as well as some that are scented a bit differently than your typical thyme, such as the caraway thyme or lemon thyme. They are both useful in cooking, have a wonderful smell and great for garden concepts. A word of warning though bees LOVE thyme and when they are blooming, you will have many bees. But, fear not, typically bees are interested in what they can harvest, not in going after your tender fingers! I have worked among flowering plants for many years and can truly say I’ve only been stung once in the garden and that was due to my leaning against a pot that had a bee on it which caused it to sting me. All you need do is wave your hand gently to move them away and you can pick what you need OR wait until either the cool of the morning or evening and see if they are gone then pick what you need. It won’t be as much of a problem when the plant isn’t in bloom, but here in So Cal, they bloom pretty much all year.

Rock wall with Thyme

When using thyme in the garden remember that it doesn’t like wet feet, so be aware of where you place it. If you are using common thyme, it has good effect in Mediterranean gardens. It will also do well as a bit of interest when bordering a dry creek bed, or as a loose hedge. The lower growing thyme are good as ground covers between roses, along pathways, between flagstones even growing over rocks and in crevices.  I have used it on the backside of a rock waterfall to fill in the gaps between rocks and soil. It covered it beautifully in about a year and a half. You can use the woolly thyme as a lawn substitute if you really want to conserve water. Once thyme has established itself, it is a low water plant. If you use it as a lawn substitute be aware that when it blooms, it will be attracting bees which don’t always mix well with kids and animals! You may mow it occasionally just to keep the woodiness of the stems at a minimum. You can purchase flats (18" x 18" square) of the low growing thyme at many nurseries or in single containers.  The common thyme may come in 4” pots, 1 gallon or 5 gallon containers. I personally won’t purchase any herbs in anything larger than a 1 gallon container because some of them don’t transplant well at that size and you want it to acclimate easily.

When using thyme as a spice remove the leaves from the stems by holding the very top of the stem in one hand and using your fingernails, run them down the stem lightly against the growth pattern squeezing lightly to dislodge the leaves from the stems. You can use the whole stem and leaves in cooking such as soups, but you definitely want to remove them prior to serving the soup! Make sure the stems aren’t woody if you choose to use thyme this way.

Thyme is just a fun herb to grow. It is easy, looks pretty, smells wonderful and isn’t invasive so you can throw it in the garden and not worry. Use creeping thyme in a pot or on the edge of a planting wall so that as it grows it drapes over the edge is pretty and adds a soft touch to the area.

Soon it will be ‘thyme’ to plant your herb garden…. Enjoy your garden and all the creative ways you can use this herb in it.

Happy gardening!

Mary

¹ Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs

² Thymus praecox – Creeping thyme

  Thymus pseudolanuginosus – Woolly thyme

  Thymus herba-barona – Caraway-scented thyme

  Thymus x citriodorus – Lemon-scented thyme

Mint

Mint,

Not just for Mojitos!!  

Ahhh, mint!! It is a refreshing smell, a cooling taste on your tongue, a great addition to Mediterranean dishes, lemonade, tea and even ice cream!! The smell brings on memories of summer days, picnics and fun!

The legend goes that the name “mint” comes from a nymph in Greek mythology named Minthe.  *Persephone, Pluto’s wife, found out that Pluto was in love with beautiful Minthe. She became jealous and turned her into a lowly plant in retaliation. Pluto couldn’t undo the curse so he made it so that she had a sweet smell when walked upon which got sweeter the more it was walked on. (Even back then there was drama!) The name was then changed to Mentha and became the genus name of the herb, mint.

Mint has long been used as both a culinary & medicinal treatment for many ages. At one time it was even used to pay taxes by the Pharisees. It is can be used to freshen your breath, treat stomach upset and an aid to digestion. It has been touted as an insect repellent and to whiten teeth! It can be used fresh or dried. I personally love the smell and taste of fresh mint. I use the back of a spoon to ‘muddle’ it when I put it in tea, lemonade or soups. Muddling it bruises it to release the oils that give mint its scent and flavor.

Mint plants have an interesting structure. Their stems are square instead of round and the leaf margins are jagged and a bit furry underneath in some instances. The leaves are alternate, meaning that two will grow opposite each other, the next two will grow opposite of those two and so on down the stem. Not all mint plants are mint scented, such as horehound although it is a member of the mint family.

Mint flower

They are considered a perennial; meaning they grow all year, flower usually in spring/summer time. They can tolerate part shade to full sun but in high heat areas they will do best in part shade.  They tolerate a variety of soils, but will try to find a richer soil if placed in a poor soil. They can be invasive!!!! That being said, they do very well on hillsides and can cover quite a large area. I prefer to plant them in pots, which they do quite well in. They do need a good soil in pots and prefer a loamy soil. (Loam is a type of soil. Usually a 40-40-20 concentration of sand, silt and clay respectively.) Make sure the pot has good drainage as they don’t do well sitting in a bog at the bottom of a non-draining pot! If you prefer to plant them in the ground, one way to slow their invasiveness is to plant them in a pot, in the ground. This means that you drop the pot into a hole in the ground with the plant already planted in it. This provides a root barrier but be aware, since the pot needs drainage holes, those same holes will eventually allow the mint roots to invade the soil around it. Also, the trailing stems can re-root where they touch the ground. The upside is that if you catch it early enough, you can just pull them right out of the ground and cut them off.

There are several of types of mint to plant; peppermint, lemon mint, apple mint, chocolate mint and orange mint to name a few of the more often used types. If you choose to grow a few types of mint, be aware that they can and most likely will cross pollinate so you may get another variety altogether!! If you can, separate them by quite a distance. This may lessen the chance of you ending up with an undesirable flavored mint. Also, don't confuse 'water mint' with mint grown in soil. While it is in the mint family, it doesn't have the same flavor or scent. There is also a compact ground hugging mint called Corsican mint. The leaves are very tiny and it forms a dense mat, which is great in between flagstone.

To harvest, cut the stems on a dry day and when the morning dew has evaporated from the plant. This will help reduce the possibility of the remaining leaves turning black. This is a fungus and if is shows up, I do recommend removal all black leaves and throwing them away. Wash your hands after removing them and make sure you don’t touch other healthy leaves as you may spread the fungus. You can then strip the leaves from the stem and use either fresh or dry them to use later. 

To increase your plant population you can cut stems, about 6-8 inches long, remove the lower leaves and set the stem in water, setting the container in an area that gets bright light and warmth. You don’t want to leave it outside in direct sun or in a windowsill in direct sun. Remember to change water every other day or so to avoid bacterial growth on the roots or stem. Once you have roots of a decent length (about 1 ½ - 2 inches long) and a good amount of them, you can transplant into a pot. I would still keep it inside or in a protected place outside until it has set more roots. To determine this, tug gently on the stem. If there is a slight resistance, it has started to set roots and can be placed in part shade. Make sure that you keep the soil slightly moist so that the plant doesn’t dry out unexpectedly. You can also put several starters in a single large pot to create a more full pot later.

Variegated Pineapple mint

Mint is a very easy plant to grow, one that is really good for kids to grow since it is fun to incorporate into a variety of foods, as well as chewing a whole leaf itself!!

One last caution: the herbs you get in the grocery store do not do well if they are planted. They are either hydroponically grown, so their root system won’t take the sudden soil or force grown in a greenhouse which means they aren’t that hardy to begin with but are acceptable for cooking.

Go forth and grow some mint!!! You won’t be sorry and you’ll have a plant that is scented and useful, who could ask for more?

Happy gardening!

Mary

* Myth info from Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Herbs - A very good herb info resource

Magazines devoted to or based on herbs & their use:

Herb Quarterly - has info on herbs & their uses, how to make lotions, lip balm, soaps and gift items as well as recipes.

Mother Earth Living (formerly Herb Companion) Now a bit more of a slick magazine, along the lines of Real Simple meets Herb Companion. I'm still checking it out. I really liked the old format, but wasn't consulted.... =)

I'm sure there are more out there, I just haven't really searched for them yet.