One of my favorite songs features in its title one of my favorite herbs. With its subtle, dry aroma and slightly minty flavor, thyme is a common seasoning used in cooking poultry and stuffing, fish sauces, and chowders and soups. It complements lamb and veal, is equally delicious in egg dishes, and enhances tomato-based sauces.
Thyme is one of the easiest herbs to grow; it prefers lean conditions, with plenty of sun, as you would expect from a native of the Mediterranean region. With over a hundred known varieties and classifications of thyme (such as upright, creeping, shrub-like, English or French thyme, garden or wild), the ways you can incorporate it into your garden or home are only as limited as your imagination.
Creeping thyme is often used as a ground cover or even a lawn substitute; it’s also great as an edger. Trailing varieties bring aroma and texture to container gardens. This hardy evergreen is a perennial in USDA zones 5 to 9+, but gardeners in all regions can grow it inside and enjoy fresh herbs all year round.
As far back as the epoch of the ancient Greeks, people were well aware of the powerful properties of the essential oil of the thyme plant. It was considered to be the herb of courage, and was believed to invigorate and inspire courage in those who bore it. They also used it to treat shyness, nightmares and depression. Roman soldiers bathed in a tub of thyme herbs, as they believed it would help to strengthen them for the upcoming battle.
During the Middle Ages, wearing sprigs of thyme signified that you were chivalrous; pictures of it have been often found on extant clothing from medieval knights. During the plague, townspeople gathered to burn large bundles of thyme and other herbs; they believed it would keep the disease away. Quite an amazing history for an herb!
The oil from the stem contains anti-bacterial components that help heal cuts and bruises. In fact, the essential oil of thyme was a standard antiseptic in first-aid kits carried on the battlefields of World War I, and it is still used today to flavor cough syrups. It’s even an active ingredient in Listerine! Be careful to whom you feed thyme, as it’s considered an aphrodisiac. In case you enjoy too many potent potables, thyme tea is also said to help relieve hangovers.
But today, perhaps one of the most charming uses of thyme is in gardens to provide refuge for fairies. They are believed to inhabit thyme patches, perhaps because a place where the wild thyme grows is a supposed to be particularly powerful “energy center.”
Whether used as a symbol of great spirit and courage, a curative for asthma and wounds, a haven for fairies, or as an aromatic addition to your dinner, thyme is a attractive garden gem that is easy to grow - indoors or out.