Varieties at “Thyme on 43rd”

Thymus serpyllum elfin

This variety has fragrant foliage, and purple-pink blooms which appear in early to late summer. As it can tolerate light foot traffic, this species looks beautiful growing in cracks between stepping stones, spilling over walls, or grown in rock gardens. It also provides flair as an edging plant.

Thymus doerflen bressingham

Attractive to bees and butterflies, this variety comes from England and has grey green foliage with dusty-pink flowers in early summer. It forms mats of low-lying slightly hairy stems.

Thymus pseudulanuginosus wooly

Wooly Thyme is the hairiest of all Thymes and forms dense mats of hairy, blue-green leaves. It is very low-growing, reaching only one inch in height. This variety has hardly any fragrance at all, and cannot be used for cooking. It has tiny pink tubular flowers when it blooms in summer, and will tolerate medium to heavy foot-traffic.

Thymus serpyllum coccineus

Red creeping Thyme – This species forms sheets of dark crimson flowers when it blooms and received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit in 1993. As with all Thymes, it likes to grow in full sun.