Lemon Thyme ∗ The 10 best planting and care tips

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Thymus citriodorus
• Family: Lamiaceae (Lamiaceae)
• Growth type: semi-shrub
• Growth: bushy, creeping
• Height of growth: 8 cm to 20 cm (30 cm)
• Leaf: evergreen
• Flower: in fives, purple-pink
• Flowering period: June to September
• Harvest time: all year round
• Taste: lemony-fresh
• Hardiness: conditionally hardy
• Use: kitchen herb, ground cover, container plant

blossom

From June is Lemon Thyme a popular destination for insects, because the flowering season begins. Even from afar, a seductive scent reveals the presence of the Mediterranean shrub in the garden and on the balcony. These features shape the flower of Thymus citriodorus:

• heyday: June to September (June and July varieties)
• flower shape: simple, calyx-shaped, fivefold, in panicles
• flower size: < 5cm
• flower ecology: hermaphrodite
• flower color: pink to purple in many shades
• flower property: lemon-like scented, edible

Sheet

Lemon thyme owes its status as a popular spice and ornamental plant to its leaves. The following overview sums up why this is so:

• leaf shape: elliptic to obovate, leaf margin entire, partially curled
• sheet size: 10 mm to 15 mm long, 2 mm to 8 mm wide
• leaf color: evergreen
• sheet property: scented with lemons, edible
• taste: fruity and lemony, mildly aromatic, typical of thyme

The leaves are very stable and sit on prostrate, square branches. Foliage and twigs form a resilient ground cushion that emits an intense, lemony scent when stepped on.

hardiness

Planted lemon thyme is hardy to -18° Celsius. If the evergreen subshrub is cultivated in a bucket, the frost tolerance is reduced to - 5° Celsius. Heavy frost, persistent winter wetness and pot culture require simple protective measures, which you can read about in the care instructions that follow.

use

As a natural hybrid, lemon thyme impressively demonstrates what Mother Nature conjures up for the garden. In fact, the cross between field thyme (Thymus pulegioides) and common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) was created without human intervention. Breeders took the pure species as a template for decorative varieties with variegated leaves. The result is a wide range of tasty, practical and decorative uses. The following table provides an insight:

For your culinary inspiration, the following video introduces you to one of the many delicious lemon and thyme recipes:

Recipe tip for grilling - chicken breast in lemon thyme marinade

harvest time

Lemon thyme is harvest time all year round. The leaves are at their most aromatic just before the flowering period begins. All seasons, the perennial is rich in essential oils, including 0.5 percent thymol for that unique thyme flavor. The subshrub owes its tempting, lemon-like scent to a 60 percent share of geraniols and citral. The subshrub pumps a high concentration of these ingredients into its shoots and leaves before the lemon thyme blossoms unfold.

digression

Flavor Booster - Dry Lemon Thyme

Plant lemon thyme

As a potted plant, you can buy lemon thyme during the gardening season and plant it in the ground. Vegetative propagation is cheaper and has a gardening fun factor. Read here how to successfully propagate Thymus citriodorus and plant it correctly:

multiply

You can easily propagate Mediterranean herbs such as lemon thyme, sage or basil by cuttings. The vegetative propagation has the advantage that all varietal characteristics of the mother plant are preserved. The best time is in spring. That is how it goes:

1. potting soil fill in pots.
2. Herbaceous, 10 cm long shoot tips as cut cuttings.
3. Pluck off the leaves in the lower half of the shoot.
4. Set a cutting in the well-drained soil in each pot
5. Place the jar in a bowl with a transparent lid and water.
6. Keep substrate slightly moist.

If a fresh shoot appears on the cuttings, the cover has fulfilled its duty. Care for the seedlings in a bright location that is not in full sun until the planting season begins in May.

Location

The best place for lemon thyme is in a rock garden in full sun. On the top floor of a herb staircase or herbal spiral the mint family also feels in good hands. All important site conditions at a glance:

• Sunny, warm location, preferably in front of a hot south face.
• Ideally protected from the pelting rain.
• Soil quality: permeable, sandy-dry, calcareous, lean, poor in humus.

Plant in the bed

Plant lemon thyme in the border for use as a culinary herb or groundcover. The best planting time is in spring. Because the roots grow quickly in permeable, loose soil, you can also plant the young plants in summer or autumn. The correct planting distance is 25 cm to 30 cm. Plant 8 to 10 plants per square meter for area-wide greening. Sprinkle each planting pit with sand or lava granules to prevent waterlogging in rainy weather.

Plant in the bucket

Use an organic herb soil as a pot substrate for carefree use as a kitchen herb. Add a few handfuls of coir so the substrate is nice and permeable yet structurally stable. Cover the bottom of the pot grit,(€14.00 at Amazon*)expanded clay(€19.00 at Amazon*) or potsherds as drainage against waterlogging. Plant the perennial as deep as before in the nursery pot. A pouring edge of 3 to 5 centimeters is advantageous. Pour penetratingly. In the first week put the freshly planted lemon thyme in the penumbra up so that it does not suffer from sunburn on its spicy leaves in full sun.

Maintain lemon thyme

Lemon thyme is very easy to care for and the ideal starter plant for the Herb garden. The water and nutrient supply is just as uncomplicated as cutting care. A simple winter protection makes sense because the evergreen subshrub is not completely hardy. Please pay attention to these care tips so that you can enjoy the aromatic herbs for many years to come:

Pour

Summer drought is the only reason to water lemon thyme in the bed. Use hard tap water. In a pot in full sun, the soil dries out quickly. Incidentally, this also applies when a warm wind is blowing on an overcast sky. Check the watering requirement every few days with a thumb test.

Fertilize

Fertilize Fertilize lemon thyme every two weeks from May to August using an organic liquid fertilizer for herb plants. Because the subshrub mainly thrives when it is creeping, adding compost and then working it into the soil is not suitable. At the beginning of September, please adjust the nutrient supply for bedding plants so that the shoots mature before the first frost.

Cut and harvest

If lemon thyme acts as a ground cover, pruning measures are not necessary. Regularly harvesting individual shoots is not enough for pruning when used as a kitchen herb. A vigorous pruning prevents the evergreen subshrub from completely lignifying. How to do it right:

• To harvest: Cut shoot tips in the morning when the morning dew has dried.
• pruning: cut back all shoots by a third or half in spring.
• incision: do not cut into the wood, thin out dead and unfavorable shoots at the base.

You can breathe new life into an old lemon thyme with a rejuvenating pruning. Best time is in February. Prune the subshrub like real ones thyme back to just before the bare, woody area.

hibernate

For the certified winter hardiness of up to -18° Celsius, the roots must not be in water. To protect against winter waterlogging, cover lemon thyme in the bed with spruce brushwood. In winter, place a bucket on wood in a rain-protected niche. Cover the pot with fleece so that the root ball does not freeze through. Ideally overwinter lemon thyme as a potted plant in the house light and cool at 5° to 10° Celsius.

Popular Varieties

The best lemon thyme varieties are colorful in the garden and tub, as the following selection proves:

• Golden Dwarf: cushion-forming growth with golden-yellow leaves, violet flowers and a height of 5-20 cm.
• variegated: Premium variety with white-edged, spicy leaves, crimson-pink flowers and a lovely lemon scent.
• aureus: partly upright growing golden lemon thyme, lilac flowers, height of growth up to 30 cm.
• Cascata: Lemonade Thyme, hanging or creeping, perfect for flavoring lemonade, juice and herbal tea.
• Silver King: decorative, green-white variety, pink flowers, clump-like to carpet-forming, aromatic-lemon scent.

FAQ

What foods can you season with lemon thyme?

With its lemon-like aroma, the Mediterranean herbal treasure gives hearty and sweet dishes a special flavor. Lemon thyme goes well with poultry, fish, tarte flambée and mixed salads. Herbal tea, juice and lemonade are given a fresh, fruity note with a few leaves of lemon thyme. Tasty and refreshing, the herb rounds off sweet desserts and jams. Use the blossoms as colorful edible cake decorations.

Can you propagate lemon thyme by seed?

Suitable for propagation by sowing is primarily the seed-fixed original species Thymus citriodorus. From March you can sow the seeds in trays on the windowsill in well-drained coconut soil. Do not cover the seeds, because they germinate in the light. At normal room temperatures in a bright location, the germination time is four weeks. Cuttings are more suitable for the propagation of hybrids because the characteristics typical of the variety are retained.

Is lemon thyme hardy?

Because the evergreen shrub comes from southern climes, it is not completely hardy in our latitudes. After all, lemon thyme bravely braves frosty temperatures down to – 18° Celsius in the bed, provided that the roots are protected from winter moisture with brushwood. In the pot, the root ball is vulnerable to frost damage. Cover the jar with fleece. A foot made of wood or styrofoam protects the roots from frost from below.