Thymus citriodorus
Lemon thyme
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 25 cm, rows 30 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Planting
- Mar–May
- Harvest
- May–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- Low
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) is a low, semi‑shrubby herb with finely scented leaves that give off a lemon aroma even from close range on warm days. The small, often slightly yellow‑tinted leaves grow on creeping to upright stems that produce delicate pink to purple flowers in summer, attracting bees and other insects. As a hardy semi‑shrub, it tolerates mild winters well when kept dry.
Care instructions
Lemon thyme prefers full sun and a well‑drained, somewhat lean soil; it does poorly on heavy, water‑logged soils. Plant it 25 to 30 cm apart, ideally on a slightly raised bed or between gravel and stones to ensure good drainage. Water sparingly, only when prolonged dryness occurs, excess moisture is more harmful than drought. After flowering, prune the stems (late July to early August) to keep the plant compact and encourage fresh growth. In winter, a light mulch or leaf cover protects it at exposed sites, especially when grown in containers.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
PlantingMar–May
HarvestMay–Sep
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lean, lime-loving, dry
Lemon thyme likes it lean and dry, just like its Mediterranean model. Heavy, waterlogged soils quickly lead to root rot, so drainage of sand or gravel belongs in every planting hole. Calcareous, lean soil encourages the essential-oil aroma more than nutrient-rich soil.
Feeding
Light feeder
Lemon thyme needs practically no feeding; too many nutrients even weaken the aroma. A thin layer of ripe compost in spring is quite enough. For potted plants, a little diluted nettle manure once a year is enough.
Overwintering
In a tub, lemon thyme overwinters best bright and cool in a sheltered place, for example against a house wall. Outdoors it usually tolerates mild winters well, but it is more sensitive than common thyme and appreciates a mulch layer of brushwood. In late winter you can cut frost-damaged shoot tips back to healthy wood.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Division
- Layering
Propagation is most reliable by cuttings in late spring; mid-May · week 19 to early June is a good period. Cut semi-ripe shoot tips about 8 cm long and insert them in lean, free-draining substrate. Older clumps can be divided in spring, which gives stronger young plants straight away. Layering also works well, because the prostrate shoots root by themselves where they touch the soil.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
particularly well establishedYou will find that basil next to tomato and pepper improves taste and keeps whiteflies and aphids away.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 14 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Lemon thyme yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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