How to Grow and Care for Lemon Thyme

Lemon thyme thrives in warm, dry weather, so it reaches its peak performance during the summer. This is when you will see the lovely lilac flowers bloom, as well as reap the benefit of the volatile lemony essential oils released by the warm air. It will go dormant during the cooler months but may remain green throughout the year in all but the coldest climates.

Lemon thyme: planting, care and uses

My fascination with the world of plants led me to study horticulture. Whether they are crops or ornamental plants, whether they are found in the tropics or are native to our region, each plant has its own special characteristics.
I love to be inspired by the incredible variety in botanical gardens and try to bring as much nature as possible into my flat and onto my balcony.

Favourite fruit: mango, banana
Favourite vegetables: garlic, aubergine

Lemon thyme not only makes a lovely groundcover, but it also transforms the garden or balcony into a Mediterranean-scented oasis.

Lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus) has a few location requirements. If you choose the right location, you can enjoy its fine fragrance all year round. Read on to find out how to plant and care for lemon thyme.

• Lemon thyme: flower, origin and properties
• The best lemon thyme varieties
• Planting lemon thyme: location and procedure
• Caring for lemon thyme
• Is lemon thyme hardy?
• Propagate lemon thyme
• Lemon thyme flavour, aroma and use

Lemon thyme: flower, origin and properties

The Thymus x citriodorus herb is the result of a natural cross between broadleaved thyme (Thymus pulegioides) and common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and was named after its fine lemon fragrance. Lemon thyme is also known as citrus thyme. The Thymus genus belongs to the Labiatae family (Lamiaceae), which is known for its aromatic herbs such as rosemary (Rosmarinus), sage (Salvia) and lavender (Lavandula). Lemon thyme is native to the Mediterranean but can also be grown in the UK. Typical of Lamiaceae plants, lemon thyme has lipped, tubular flowers in pale purple or pink. The leaves are elliptical and broader than common thyme with a sweet lemon scent. Overall, it reaches a height of 8 to 15 cm and is 25 to 30 cm wide. It has a mat-forming growth habit. This aromatic herb is both evergreen and perennial, forming lovely green accents in rock gardens.

Tip: lemon thyme is a favourite of bees and bumblebees. Insects can easily reach the nectar because the lipped flowers act as a runway for the critters.

When does lemon thyme flower? The original lemon thyme blooms from July to August with delicate purple flowers. Some varieties have a slightly shorter flowering time

The best lemon thyme varieties

Although the original form of lemon thyme already has a lot to offer, there are also many beautiful lemon thyme cultivars.

• ‘Aureus’ has yellow-green leaves and lovely light pink flowers which bloom from June to July.

• ‘Golden Dwarf’ has purple flowers and yellow leaves. This variety is less frost-hardy and is best grown beside a house wall in winter. Grows well in pots.

• ‘Lemon Variegated’ grows up to 12cm tall and produces yellow-green to white leaves.
• ‘Rasta’ grows up to 40cm wide with light purple to pink flowers, blooming between June and August. ‘Rasta’ lemon thyme also boasts a rich green foliage.
• ‘Silver Queen’ has green leaves with white edges. This variety generally has a silvery tone.

Planting lemon thyme: location and procedure

Lemon thyme thrives in both pots and beds. If planted in a bed, choose the location carefully because lemon thyme reacts quickly to unfavourable soil conditions. Thymus x citriodorus grows best in poor, well-drained soil and does not tolerate waterlogging. Likewise, due to its Mediterranean origins, it needs a warm, sunny location with at least five hours of sunlight per day.

Once you have chosen a suitable location, it is time to plant the thyme. Although lemon thyme can be planted all year round, do so in spring for the best results. Dig a planting hole that is twice as wide as the root ball. Loosen the soil if possible.

Tip: to avoid unwanted waterlogging, add a drainage layer of expanded clay, grit or gravel to the bottom of the hole. For lemon thyme in pots, expanded clay is also suitable as the bottom layer.

If you wish to grow several plants next to each other, space them 20 to 25 cm apart. Place the lemon thyme plant deeply in the hole so that the lowest branches are barely above the soil surface, then fill in with soil.

If you do not want to buy a potted plant, you can sow lemon thyme seeds. That said, growing lemon thyme from seed is a less common practice. It is best to start the lemon thyme seeds indoors from March onwards.

Sowing lemon thyme:

• Fill the seed pots with sowing soil and moisten thoroughly
• Press the lemon thyme seeds lightly onto the soil, as the seeds need light to germinate
• Place the seed pots on a bright windowsill with a temperature of 15 to 20 °C
• After 10 to 15 days, the first sprouts should appear
• Once you spot the first real leaves, gently pot on the seedlings into individual pots
• From mid-May after the last frosts, plant your lemon thyme seedlings outdoors in a bed or pot

Tip: our Plantura Organic Herb and Seeding Compost is ideal not only for sowing Mediterranean seeds, but also for later potting on into individual pots. It is lower in nutrients than other soils, which encourages the seedlings to form strong roots.

How to Grow and Care for Lemon Thyme

Les Engles achieved Master Gardener through the Camden County Extension of the Rutgers Master Gardeners Program. He is an arboretum curator with over 30 years of experience. He describes himself as a “tree-hugging dirt worshipper” who is a member of multiple gardening societies and foundations.

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry’s most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40+ years of experience and 20+ years of writing experience. Mary is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.

Lemon thyme is a Mediterranean herb that has been used to treat illnesses for centuries. Once believed to be a hybrid of garden origin, between Thymus pulegioides and Thymus vulgaris, it has since received its classification after DNA analysis revealed it is its own species (Thymus citriodorus).

The aesthetic appeal and the many uses of lemon thyme in garden design are reason enough to plant this aromatic treasure. Using lemon thyme in a garden can bring interest and appeal in various ways. Lemon thyme makes an excellent border plant in a rock garden and thrives in those conditions. If looking to xeriscape, thyme is perfect and will give a pop of color when it flowers or, depending on the cultivar, can add yellows and lime greens as well.

Light

Lemon thyme demands bright sunny locations that recall its origins. It will tolerate some shade, but it will never thrive and give its best foliage or aroma in anything but the full sun. If your yard lacks a location that gets full sun, lemon thyme grows wonderfully in containers and can be kept on a sunny window sill.

Soil

When thinking of ideal soil conditions for lemon thyme, consider the native conditions of where it originally lived. In thyme’s case, this would be the dry, sandy, rocky limestone mountainsides of the Mediterranean. This environment creates the perfect dry, alkaline soil needed for growing lemon thyme. While these conditions are ideal, lemon thyme and many Mediterranean herbs will grow in almost any soil condition since they are adapted to growing in rocky, infertile soil.

Water

Watering lemon thyme is a low-maintenance affair. Lemon thyme prefers dry conditions, so watering it weekly or even every few weeks is fine. Once the soil is truly dry to the touch, water the soil until it’s drenched.

Temperature and Humidity

Lemon thyme thrives in warm, dry weather, so it reaches its peak performance during the summer. This is when you will see the lovely lilac flowers bloom, as well as reap the benefit of the volatile lemony essential oils released by the warm air. It will go dormant during the cooler months but may remain green throughout the year in all but the coldest climates.

Fertilizer

Treating herbs, not just lemon thyme, with fertilizer is often a bad idea. A great way to be proactive and encourage vigorous growth is to add some organic compost when planting.

Growing Lemon Thyme From Seed

Growing lemon thyme from seed is possible, but it is often slow to germinate.

1. In a seed starting tray filled with seed starting medium, place two to three seeds per cell. Keep the medium consistently moist. A domed cover will help you keep the seeds warm and the soil moist and warm. Put the trays in a bright window or under a grow light on a heating mat.
2. When your seeds have germinated, remove the dome and place a small fan beside the tray to allow indirect air to flow over the seedlings at all times. The constant pressure from the air creates more robust plants and root systems.
3. When your plants reach a height of three inches or so, move them into pots to allow them to mature a little before planting outdoors.
4. Harden off the seedlings before you take them outside after the first frost.

Propagating Lemon Thyme

Once you have an established plant, you can easily propagate thyme. Cutting is a common propagation method.

1. Cut a stem section 4 inches in length with sterile scissors or snips just below the leaf node.
2. Remove the leaves below the node, then submerge the stem of the cutting in distilled water. Put the cuttings in a place that gets plenty of light.
3. Within a few weeks, the plant’s roots will have begun developing. Let a good root system develop, then transplant it into a pot to grow further.

Alternatively, you can dip cuttings in a rooting hormone and push the cutting into seed starting soil. Keep the soil moist and within a few weeks the plant’s roots will have begun to develop.

Potting and Repotting

If you plan to propagate thyme or want to grow thyme in a container rather than in the garden, having a great potting mix is essential. Start with a base of three parts seed mix, two parts compost, one part vermiculite, and one part topsoil. This mix will give you the suitable organics, draining, aeration, moisture retention, and texture for your herb to be happy.