parsley, sage, rosemary and THYME

The scents from my herbs remind me that I have much more in my urban garden than my Paeonia suffruitticosa, Clematis lanuginosa, and H.F. Young Clemantis. In fact, the number of my trees, shrubs, flowering plants and herbs totals a little over fifty. My variety of herbs grow with a sense of purpose, providing heavy aromas which often attract honey bees - especially the lavender and thyme. Thymus, the last of the "Simon and Garfunkel herbs" (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme) is certainly not last with me. I have three types of thyme in my garden. My Thymus vulgaris (English thyme) has small with gray green leaves. It is excellent in a liqueur.

It enhances  a variety of foods, including soups, sauces, herb butters and vinegars. It is an essential component in in the blend of herbs known as bouquet garni. I grow it in a terra-cotta clay-bowl, and like to watch its fabulous foliage trail over the top of the container. My Thymus citriodorus ('Aureus' or variegated lemon thyme), like its sister, is grown in a lovely, low, terra-cotta clay-bowl. This variety has gold-splashed leaves and their lemon scent makes them a culinary delight. The honey-bees love this plant, and I love the lemon-thyme honey that results from their endeavors. My Thymus citrioorus ('Argenteus' or silver-edged thyme) is also a culinary delight and a bouquet garni essential. This type of thyme is a bushy, rounded shrub with white edged leaves. Like the others, Thymus vulgaris and Thymus citriodous ', I grow it in a low terra-cotta clay-bowl and watch it spill over the bowl. I have rendered an image of this into an invitation which can be seen at the top of this post. It is available for purchase on my web-site.