Thyme’s major ingredient, thymol, has been
employed as a deodorant. Thyme is also believed to improve the
eyesight and is reputed to be taken for toning up the reproductive system.
As an ingredient of herbal tobacco, thyme is good for digestion, headaches
and drowsiness. Thyme pillows were thought to relieve epilepsy and
melancholy. A hot cup of thyme tea is a good pick-me-up for
wearisome and trying days. Try putting some fresh sprigs of thyme
into a facial steam for toning up the skin. Its fragrant oil is used
extensively to scent soaps, cosmetics and rice powder. Commercially,
Germany is the biggest exporter of thyme for the industry, with the area
of Nimes, France being a center for the distillation of the oil of thyme from the plant.
Other uses for thymol include the making of colognes, aftershave lotions
and we all know that thyme makes an important contribution to potpourris
and those beneficial closet bags.
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GROWING TIPS:
A small,
many-branched, aromatic shrub, thyme is perennial and rarely grows
over a foot in height. It has oblong-lanceolate leaves
opposite each other on nearly stalk-less stems. Its flowering
season is in June and July. During its flowering season, it
produces clusters of numerous, tubular, lilac to pink blossoms under
1/4 inch in length. Native to the western Mediterranean region
and widely cultivated, naturalized patches have also been sighted in
western Massachusetts. It has plant hardiness from zone
5 to zone 9 and grows well in light, dry, well-drained soil situated
in full sun to partial shade. Propagate by root division of
established plants anytime from mid-spring to early summer or
cuttings of 3-inch pieces from stems with new green growth.
Place the cuttings in wet sand and keep moist until they show new
top growth. |
When attempting to differentiate the many
varieties, thymes get confusing. Some generalities I have absorbed
in researching this article follow. English and French Thyme are
both forms of Thymus vulgaris; other cultivars of hybrids of T. vulgaris
include: T. X citriodorus - lemon-scented and pink flowers; there is both
a green-leaved and a variegated variety. T. X C. ‘Silver Queen’ with
silvery, variegated leaves. Among the creeping thymes, Caraway Thyme
(T. Herba-baronna) is the best known. Harriet Phillips who
has
completed her doctorate in identification and classification of the
thymes notes in an article that Nutmeg Thyme is actually the female form
of Caraway Thyme. Crimson Thyme (T. S. Coccineus) has dark green
leaves and is covered with small red flowers all summer. White Thyme
(T. S. Albus) has tiny light-green leaves with a profusion of white
flowers. Both of these spread into fragrant mats within weeks.
Wooly Thyme (T. Lanicaulis) has soft, silvery, blue-green leaves
and purplish flowers. Mother-Of-Thyme (T. Praecox) has more
varieties than any other thyme. Its flowers come in shades of rose,
lavender and purple.
Speaking from experience, no matter how
much thyme you grow, there never
seems to be enough; and there are so many interesting varieties that you
could concentrate on just collecting these delightful herbs. Someday
I hope to have a "thyme lawn". A dense covering of fragrance that
needs no clipping other than the removal of dead flower-heads after its
profuse blooming.
