Thyme
Thymus vulgaris · Perennial
One of the most drought-tolerant culinary herbs and a reliable indoor perennial. Appears throughout our winter and aromatic guides.
What it needs indoors
- Light
- Full sun6+ hours direct sun
- Water
- Let it dry outAllow to dry between waterings
- Temperature
- 60–70°F
- Growing medium
- Sharply draining, sandy mix
- Native range
- Rocky garrigue of the western Mediterranean
- Difficulty
- Beginner
What usually goes wrong
Patches in the middle of the mat go brown and brittle
Dense growth holding damp against the stems with no air moving through it. Thyme grows flat over hot stone where it dries within minutes of rain.
Fix: Cut out the dead sections to open the mat up, top-dress around the base with grit or coarse sand, and move it somewhere with more air. Water the soil, not the plant.
Woody sticks with a tuft of green on the end of each one
Age. Thyme goes woody from the base upwards, and old bare wood does not push new shoots.
Fix: Shear it lightly every year after flowering, taking the top third and staying within green growth. Cut into bare wood and you are left with a stump. Too far gone, take cuttings. Thyme roots easily.
Growing fast, sprawling, and hardly smells of anything
Being fed and watered like a leafy herb. Thyme concentrates its oils when it runs slightly short of water.
Fix: Stop feeding it entirely, let the pot dry between waterings, and give it the sunniest spot in the house.