Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Also called Common thyme and Garden thyme
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitWants poor, gritty soil and a hard trim after flowering, or it goes woody and bare.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 8 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun
- Feed
- Every 60 days
- Humidity
- Low
- Hardiness
- Hardy — a cold winter RHS H5, to -15°C
- Size
- 0.3 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Shrub
- Origin
- Southern Europe
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsSafe for pets
PeopleNothing recorded against it
Safe to eat: leaves.
Checked against ASPCA, RHS and Johnny's Selected Seeds on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Striped metallic beetles and their slaty grey grubs on the shoot tips, with the tiny leaves grazed off one side of the bush down to bare wiry stems.Rosemary beetle · pest
- A whole sector of the cushion stays grey and brittle when the rest breaks into new growth in spring, and those stems pull out of the soil with black roots.Root rot in winter wet · disease