Thyme for my urban garden
Thyme is a well-known aromatic herb which grow uncultivated in Greece and Mediterranean usually. I said usually because we don’t have Thyme in North Greece where I live, we have oregano mostly here.
I think I had read somewhere that Thyme starts grow in the areas south of Mountain Olympus. Generally Thyme it prefers sunny place with well-drained soil.
You can find it blossom with white or mauve flowers at the first days of June until the last days of August or the first days of September and you can see many bees in flowers because bees love this plant and make very tasty honey.
In Greece you can find 31 species of Thyme and 5 of them you can find them only here. The most common thyme in Greece is the Thymus sibthorpii benth.
This year I decide that is time to grow Thyme in my container garden, so I buy one small plant from a nursery to start. The cost it was 0.50 euro for a very small plant. If it grows normally I think I will try to make more plants for my plot later. I am not sure about the variety because here they sell just Thyme and it’s difficult to see the latin name of the plant, maybe it’s Thymus Vulgaris.
Thyme, for me, is the smell of the Mediterranean. It grows wild here and in the hills or even at the side of the road you can’t help treading on the small plants so that the air becomes aromatic as you walk. Good luck with your pot of thyme – we find it prefers to be in open ground, but maybe would do OK in a big pot. We put a plant from the garden into a pot for the kitchen windowsill, take leaves from it almost every day for salads and sauces, but then swap it for another from the garden every couple of months or so. It should grow very well in your plot.
I had not realised that Thyme was not common in Northern Greece. You do get the very hot sunny weather that makes herbs like Thyme and Oregano so aromatic. Although I grow them here the small is never as intense.
@chaiselongue I remember one of your posts about thyme and Mediterranean. I want to grow Theyme in plot so I will try it, but first is easiest to have it near me in container.
@easygardener I will search further to find if we have some varieties in North Greece, but I am not sure. The other 2/3 of Greece have many Thyme around.