The 'Minor' dwarf thyme is an easy to care for, hardy groundcover suitable for many garden concepts.
The thyme is one of the rather small subshrubs. It is therefore wonderfully suitable for ground-covering planting ideas in the garden. A particularly interesting variety is the dwarf thyme 'Minor', which is extremely good as a ground cover because of its particularly low stature.
Early blooming or dwarf thyme (Thymus praecox) is a type of thyme that grows even lower than many of its relatives. While its 'big brother' Thymus vulgaris is an important medicinal plant, Thymus praecox is also known as cushion thyme. Because the dainty subshrub reaches heights of growth of just 10 cm and thus forms cushions close to the ground. It also has a rather creeping habit, which is why it nestles beautifully to the ground. The 'Minor' variety is particularly popular in this regard.
Dwarf Thyme 'Minor' in the garden
The dwarf thyme 'Minor' - also called dwarf garden thyme 'Minor' - already bears its small size in the name of the variety. At 2 to 5 cm, it grows even lower than the already short parent species. It spreads out like a carpet and in dense, soft upholstered carpets over the ground.
| Dwarf Thyme 'Minor' (Thymus praecox 'Minor') | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | carpet-like, creeping, partly rooted |
| Growth: | 2 - 5 cm |
| Growth: | 15 - 20 cm |
| Flowering: | June - July |
| Location: | Sun |
| Floor: | dry, well drained, low humus/nutrient requirement |
During its blossoming period from June to July bright pink-purple umbelliferous flowers also cover the carpet of thyme. These grow in much more luxuriant umbels than is the case with some other types of thyme. What's more, Dwarf Thyme 'Minor' exudes an extremely aromatic scent in the garden. He turns the thyme variety not only into an ornamental but also into a scented plant and beneficial pasture that looks decorative in countless garden concepts.
➔ Mediterranean Garden
Dwarf thyme, like most other types of thyme, comes from the Mediterranean region. Mediterranean garden concepts are therefore wonderfully suited to give Thymus praecox 'Minor' an authentic natural location. Here the subshrub gets enough sun in bright locations and can indulge its preference for dry soil.
➔ Rock Garden
In addition to the Mediterranean region, Thymus praecox has also spread to the mountainous regions of Central and Western Europe. In addition, it also grows preferably on stony or rocky ground at its home location. A special tip is therefore the planting in the rock garden or alpine garden. Here the cushion thyme adorns bed edges, covers joints in stone walls, dry stone walls and palisades or lines the wayside of the stone-heavy garden ambience.
➔ Heidegarten
Another natural garden concept that also does justice to the dwarf thyme 'Minor' in terms of location habits is the heather garden. Its meager soil is an ideal growing ground for the thyme variety. In addition, its violet blooms go well with those of the heather herbs, which are part of the basic equipment in the heather garden.
➔ Herb Garden
Of course you can also plant Thymus praecox 'Minor' in the herb garden. The cushion-forming dwarf thyme is interesting there as a planting for stone herb spirals. With targeted care and the right cut, the pink-violet hem of the thyme variety can be picturesquely placed around the edge of the herb spiral.
➔ More garden concepts
Dwarf thyme 'Minor' is also suitable for a whole range of other planting concepts. For example, some gardeners use the creeping growth of the variety for green roofs. The low-growing thyme species is often used as a joint filler for natural stone paving. Since the cushion thyme fits very elegantly and precisely into the fine gaps between stone tiles and masonry, it is also excellently suited for such purposes. Planting in a trough or container is also possible.
» Tip: In the bed, thyme harmonises well with heather herbs and other Mediterranean herbs such as lavender, rosemary or sage. Likewise, ground-covering rock garden plants such as sedum, houseleek or alyssum make for beautiful bed arrangements
Caution, risk of confusion
Dwarf thyme 'Minor' is also often referred to as cushion thyme because of its cushion-forming growth. However, this designation is also used for other ground-covering varieties of the Thymus genus.For example, wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is often available commercially as cushion thyme. However, this species, also known as wild thyme, has whitish flowers with only a slight pink tinge.
Woolly thyme (Thymus praecox var. pseudolanuginosus) is also known as cushion thyme. However, it differs from Thymus praecox 'Minor' in that it has very hairy, woolly parts of the plant. It is therefore important when buying cushion thyme to look at the exact species name.
Dwarf Thyme 'Minor' - Planting Instructions
➔ Site conditions for Thymus praecox 'Minor'
As already shown, dwarf thyme 'Minor' prefers sunny, dry and rocky soil. Well-drained, sandy-gravelly substrates are therefore ideal. These should also be provided with a slight humus content. The ideal soil pH value for Thymus praecox is generally in the neutral to alkaline range between 6.5 and 8.
» By the way: Despite Due to its high light requirement, Thymus praecox 'Minor' is extremely hardy with frost resistance down to -20 °C. A special winter protection is therefore not required.
➔ Plant Thyme 'Minor' in 3 steps
- The species suffix 'praecox' already reveals that dwarf thyme 'Minor' begins to bloom relatively early in summer, around June. Therefore, plant the shrub early in spring, around mid-April. This increases the chances of taking a nice flower with you in the first year.
- The soil is re-optimized for the needs of the dwarf thyme with sand or gravel if necessary. Since the groundcover prefers to be a little sparse than too rich in nutrients, basic fertilization is not absolutely necessary. Much more important are good water drainage and sufficient soil circulation. It is therefore best to apply drainage.
- Basically, you can simply place cushion thyme in small hollows without having to dig much. But make sure that there is sufficient planting distance of at least 20 cm. There should be no more than 25 specimens of the ground cover per square meter.
Twig thyme 'Minor' - care tips
Since dwarf thyme 'Minor' is not particularly hungry for water or nutrients, it is relatively easy to care for.
➔ Pour in moderation
In terms of water requirements, it is even better to water a little less. Because the essential oils of thyme, which give it its aromatic scent and also many useful healing powers, form when there is too much water in thePlant parts only sparsely. Very moderate watering, which should be limited to the flowering period from the end of May to the beginning of September, is better.
➔ Fertilize from March to April
Thymus praecox 'Minor' is fertilized from March to April. Here the plant has to recharge its batteries before it starts flowering. A good tip is nettle manure, which also covers the nitrogen requirements of the thyme. Otherwise compost or bird guano are also suitable.
➔ Cut back in autumn
With Thymus praecox 'Minor', special attention is paid to pruning and rejuvenation measures. The right care can help older plants that have been in the garden for more than two or three years to grow and bloom again.
Pruning back in autumn will encourage vigorous new growth on the dwarf thyme in the following year. In addition, shortening the shoots can prevent an excess of wilted plant parts, which mold in winter and thus increase the risk of diseases. At least the leaves of the dwarf thyme 'Minor' are winter green, which is why the cutting effort is limited.
Dwarf Thyme 'Minor' - Propagation by root division
To rejuvenate the thymus praecox, it is advisable to divide the roots every two or three years. To do this, dig up the plant and remove all weak roots and shoots. Then the rhizome is divided into two equal parts with a sharp knife. You can put them back in the bed immediately after division.
Dwarf thyme 'Minor' in winter
Although the winter hardiness of this thyme variety is very good, you have to pay attention to a few things during the winter. After all, the species is originally a Mediterranean plant. Accordingly, hard winters are usually not found in their natural range.
Older plants of Thymus praecox 'Minor' usually form a sufficiently dense, evergreen carpet of leaves for winter protection. This protects the plant from icy melt water and ground frost. Younger specimens are often a bit more sensitive - due to their insufficient size. Therefore, only well-developed specimens should be used, especially when planting in the roof garden or for green roofs. You can basically take care of yourself in winter. Young thyme plants in the bed, on the other hand, can be covered with some brushwood to be on the safe side.
Potted thyme plants are even more sensitive than young plants. Here I have to goGarden fleece can be used to insulate the pots sufficiently. In addition, you can place the plant containers in sheltered locations. It is best to observe the behavior of your thyme plant in the first few winters to see how well the resistance to cold and frost develops over time.
Thymus praecox 'Minor' - ingredients and effects
Today, Thymus vulgaris is mainly used in medicine and cooking. However, Thymus praecox 'Minor' is also edible and can be used for original kitchen and he alth recipes. Like all types of thyme, dwarf thyme 'Minor' also has healing ingredients. In addition to thymol, which is named after thyme, this includes other terpenes such as carvacrol, cymene, borneol and linalool. They are part of the essential oil of the plant, which is said to have a particularly disinfecting, expectorant, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effect. The healing properties have a very good effect on various respiratory diseases In folk medicine, thyme is therefore used primarily against
AsthmaBronchitis
Colds
Sore throatHoarseness
Whooping cough
Irritable cough deployed. Even many herbal medicines for colds and the like contain thyme as the main active ingredient. But thyme is also used for other he alth problems such as digestive problems, gastrointestinal inflammation, skin inflammation or nerve spasms.
Diseases and Pests
The essential ingredients of Thymus praecox 'Minor' successfully keep pests away. Particular signs of damage to the plant are not known. This makes dwarf thyme 'Minor' very resistant to pests and diseases.