Thymes for bees
by Diane - July 18th, 2012.Filed under: Crocus.
Reasons to grow thyme in your garden:
It’ll mean you have fresh thyme available to pick when you need some for cooking. You could also dry some for storage too!
You will have lovely scented plants as well as pretty flowers.
They’ll grow in tubs near your kitchen door too!
The bees love them!
Thymus vulgaris ‘Silver Posie’ (thyme) £5.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: May and June Flower colour: bright purple to white Other features: the aromatic leaves are a useful ingredient in bouquet garni, stuffings and sauces; highly attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects Hardiness: fully hardy Bright purple to white flowers in late spring and early summer and wonderful, white-margined, aromatic, grey-green leaves. This bushy, creeping thyme is an excellent ground cover plant. Perfect for a sunny rock garden or for edging paths and borders, the aromatic leaves are useful for making bouquet garni, stuffings and sauces. Garden care: After flowering cut back hard using garden shears to retain a neat compact shape. Lift and divide large clumps in early spring
Thymus pseudolanuginosus (woolly thyme) £4.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: June to July Flower colour: pale pink Other features: extremely low growing Hardiness: fully hardy Tiny, pale pink flowers appear in summer amongst small, grey, woolly foliage. This is one of the woolliest thymes available and as its low growing is ideal as an unusual ground cover. Unfortunately it’s not suitable for culinary use but the flowers are highly attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects. Great for growing between paving or in cracks in stone walls. Garden care: Susceptible to root rot in poorly drained soils. If necessary, lightly trim to remove dead flowers, and cut back harder after flowering to keep them compact and bushy.
Thymus ‘Coccineus Group’ (thyme) £4.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: June to July Flower colour: dark pink Other features: makes an excellent ground cover Hardiness: fully hardy Tiny, deep pink, tubular flowers appear in summer and are highly attractive to bees. This thyme is an excellent ground cover which forms a flat mat of glossy, blue-green leaves. Great for growing between paving where it will get light traffic that will release its lovely scent whenever it is trodden on. Garden care: After flowering cut back hard using garden shears to retain a neat compact shape
Thymus serpyllum ‘Pink Chintz’ (thyme) £4.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: June to July Flower colour: clear pink Other features: highly attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects Hardiness: fully hardy This mat-forming thyme produces a mass of clear pink flowers in summer. It’s an ideal ground cover plant for a sunny border or rock garden. Useful for attracting bees and other beneficial pollinating insects into the garden, the aromatic grey-green leaves release a lovely scent whenever they are trodden on. Garden care: After flowering cut back hard using garden shears to retain a neat compact shape. Lift and divide large clumps in early spring.
Thymus ‘Bressingham’ (thyme) £4.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: June to July Flower colour: clear pink Other features: highly attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects Hardiness: fully hardy Clear pink summer flowers and fragrant grey-green, hairy leaves. This compact scented thyme is ideal for planting in a sunny part of the garden in the crevices between paving stones. It thrives in the alkaline soil conditions commonly found between stones, releasing a lovely scent whenever it is trodden on. Garden care: After flowering cut back hard using garden shears to retain a neat compact shape. Lift and divide large clumps in early spring. Goes well with: Salvia officinalis ‘Icterina’, Melissa officinalis, Thymus serphyllum, Petroselium crispum, Ocimum sativum, Mentha spicata
Thymus pulegioides ‘Aureus’ (golden-scented thyme) £6.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: June to July Flower colour: lavender-pink Other features: the aromatic leaves are a useful ingredient in bouquet garni, stuffings and sauces; highly attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects Hardiness: fully hardy Pale, lavender-pink summer flowers and luscious, lemon-scented grey- green leaves, tinged yellow. Lemon-scented thyme makes a lovely, summer flowering scented edge for a sunny herb garden. Perfect for planting in between paving stones, the aromatic leaves are an important ingredient in bouquet garni, stuffings and sauces. Garden care: After flowering cut back hard using garden shears to retain a neat compact shape. Lift and divide large clumps in early spring.
Thymus serpyllum ‘Pink Chintz’ (thyme) £3.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average to fast Flowering period: June to July Flower colour: clear pink Other features: highly attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects Hardiness: fully hardy This mat-forming thyme produces a mass of clear pink flowers in summer. It’s an ideal ground cover plant for a sunny border or rock garden. Useful for attracting bees and other beneficial pollinating insects into the garden, the aromatic grey-green leaves release a lovely scent whenever they are trodden on. Garden care: After flowering cut back hard using garden shears to retain a neat compact shape. Lift and divide large clumps in early spring.
Thyme ‘Old English Winter’ (thyme – organic) £1.99
Position: full sun Soil: fertile, well drained and light Rate of growth: average Hardiness: hardy An aromatic, low growing herb, which is ideal for edging paths or filling pots on a sunny patio. The small pink flowers, which appear in summer, are very attractive bees and the scented foliage can be used fresh, dried or frozen to add flavour to a wide range of dishes. Keep well trimmed to allow new growth to come through. Growing Instructions: Sow in March to April, in pots or trays on the surface of barely moist seed compost and cover with a sprinkling of finely sieved compost. Place in a propagator at 15-20C until germination, which usually takes up to 24 days. Transplant the seedlings into small pots or cells until they are large enough to plant outdoors. Plant them 25cm apart in well prepared soil in full sun, after all risk of frost has passed, and they will be ready for harvest from July onwards. They are winter hardy, but for the best flavour, you should pick the new growth. Plants should survive for several years and they can be trimmed to keep their shape.