Thyme (Thymus)

They are not usually listed with the traditional spring tonics, but for me thymes are a refreshing fragrance any time of the year. So by the end of a dreary winter I'm ready to check if the "common," the "lemon," or even the "creeping" thymes have begun releasing their bright, clean, reviving fragrances. In March I may have to reach down under the top branches that have been wind- and sun-dried. It's easy to understand how the name is derived from the Greek work for "incense" and why thyme is a symbol for courage in the language of flowers and herbs.

A second sign of spring is the colors on the tips of branches in the gold- and silver-leaf varieties. During the short days of spring and late fall they make more of these pigments than they make green chlorophyll, so the earliest shoots are bronze or pewter whorls against the background of last yearŐs green.

Botanically, thymes are hardy perennials with small oval leaves growing alternately on square woody stems. This puts them with the mint family and, like mints, they cross-pollinate readily so that there are hundreds of varieties available. There are three broad groups:

Upright subshrubs grow 12 to 18 inches tall and often form mounds when older. Our familiar culinary T. vulgaris is the best known in this category. Varieties of sweet thyme include broad-leaved English thyme and the grayer narrow-leaf French thyme. T. x citriodorus includes the deep green lemon thyme and its golden- and silver-leaved cultivars.

Creeping thymes grow up to 6 inches high and spread readily. The numerous varieties of mother-of-thyme, T. praecox, and T. herba-barona have a plain or lemon scent, colored leaves and, most of all, flowers that range from white to pink to downright scarlet. These will provide a carpet of color in your garden.

Very flat creepers grow only one or two inches tall. This group includes T. pulegiodes and the wooly thyme. There are a few different flower colors, but mostly this group is used to fill in paths or wall and rocky areas.

I hope that this brief introduction to the many facets of such a diminutive family can lead you to look further into the varieties you would prefer to use. Much is available on the propagation, cultivation, harvesting, storing, cooking, and even decorating with thyme.

Lastly, my fondness for thyme is due in part to its medicinal use. The essential oil of thyme contains thymol, a proven antiseptic that can be used in careful low dosages in gentle disinfectants. Check some of your favorite gargles and mouthwashes and you may well see thymol in the list of ingredients.

This is a family of plants that lives up to its ancient promises, is not demanding in its habits, and provides a therapeutic aroma all year long fresh, dried, or extracted.

Thanks to Simon Rosenzweig for this report on thyme.