Thymus praecox Albiflorus - Thyme

Thymus praecox 'Albiflorus', also known as early thyme or creeping thyme, is an excellent perennial ground cover for dry to arid areas with an abundant pure white summer flowering. The plant forms a low and compact carpet composed of pleasantly scented light green evergreen foliage. It disappears in summer under a myriad of small white flowers. It is ideal for rock gardens or in the gaps between paving stones and walls. It grows slowly. It is not afraid of drought or cold, and thrives in well-drained and poor soil.

Native to Western Europe, early thyme belongs to the Lamiaceae family. In the wild, it is found in dry and arid areas, especially in limestone and sandy soils. The 'Albiflorus' variety is the white-flowered form of this medicinal and aromatic plant. This variety has a carpeting habit and forms a dense foliage mat, 2 to 5cm (1 to 2in) high and 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) wide. Its tiny foliage is oval, leathery, and hairy. It covers flexible, prostrate and root-producing stems at the nodes, so that the plant spreads laterally over time. Numerous essential oil glands are visible under a magnifying glass on the leaves. Its scent is slightly less pronounced than that of common thyme, but more refined and balsamic. Flowering takes place from June to July-August depending on the climate. Very small white flowers, grouped in dense whorls, bloom in spherical cymes at the ends of the current year's shoots, attracting many pollinating insects. Like many Mediterranean plants adapted to drought, thymes develop a double root system, composed of a central taproot, which sinks deeply into the ground or into cracks in rocks, and a superficial network of very long rootlets capable of capturing the slightest surface moisture.

Thymus praecox 'Albiflorus' is decorative all year round. It proves to be very hardy when planted in perfectly drained or even arid soil. Its carpeting habit makes it an ideal plant for elegantly filling in the gaps between paving stones, cracks, and tops of walls, or the edges of a stone staircase, especially as it tolerates moderate foot traffic well. It can cover the ground in a dry plant bed with lavender, rockroses, shrubby salvias, dwarf wormwoods, cotton lavenders or rosemary. It will thrive in a very sunny rock garden, keeping company with Aubrieta canescens, and golden or silver baskets.

It is also used as a condiment. Its fragrance is highly appreciated in cooking. Used alone or in a bouquet garni, combined with bay leaves, parsley and rosemary, thyme leaves flavour stews, sauces, and marinades. They are also used in infusions, reputed to relieve digestive ailments. A sun-loving plant, thyme can also be planted in a dry border or in a pot, which allows it to be kept close to the kitchen.