Thymus serpyllum Elfin - Thyme

Thymus serpyllum 'Elfin', better known as wild thyme, is a particularly compact variety with slow growth, forming a very low carpet, similar to moss, with creeping stems dressed in small, shiny, fragrant and evergreen green foliage. Its clusters of pale-pink flowers bloom abundantly just above the foliage in late spring or summer. This variety is ideal for filling gaps in paving stones and walls, but can also be used as a condiment. This hardy perennial prefers full sun and well-drained, sandy soil.

Native to Europe, North Africa, Western and Central Asia, Thymus serpyllum is a botanical species belonging to the Lamiaceae family. In the wild, it is found in dry and arid places, especially in limestone and sandy soils. Thymus 'Elfin' is a horticultural selection derived from this medicinal and aromatic plant. This variety has a very spreading habit and forms a dense foliage mat that is 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in) high and 30 to 50cm (12 to 20in) wide. Its tiny, oval, leathery, villous foliage covers flexible, prostrate, and rooting stems at the nodes, allowing the plant to spread laterally. Numerous essential oil glands are visible under a magnifying glass on the 3mm (1in) long leaves. The scent of wild thymes is slightly less pronounced than that of common thyme, but it is finer and more balsamic. The flowering period is from June to July-August depending on the climate. Very small tubular and bilabiate flowers in pink-purple or lilac colour, grouped in dense whorls, bloom in cymes at the ends of the current year's shoots, attracting many pollinating insects. Like many Mediterranean plants adapted to drought, thyme develops a double root system, consisting of a central taproot, which plays a fundamental role by penetrating deeply into the soil or rock crevices, and a superficial network of very long rootlets capable of capturing the slightest surface moisture.

Thymus 'Elfin' is decorative all year round and is very hardy when planted in perfectly drained or even arid soil. Its spreading habit makes it an ideal plant to elegantly fill gaps in pavements, cracks and the tops of walls, or the edges of a stone staircase, especially since it tolerates moderate trampling. It will complement a dry plant bed with lavender, rockroses, shrubby salvias, dwarf artemisias, cotton lavenders, or rosemary. It will thrive in a very sunny rockery, keeping company with Aubrieta canescens, golden or silver thistles, creeping germander, and ceanothus. It is also used as a condiment; its garlicky-scented leaves are highly appreciated in cooking. Used alone or in a bouquet garni, combined with bay leaves, parsley, and rosemary, thyme leaves flavour stews, sauces, marinades, and fish stock. They are also used in herbal tea, known for relieving digestive ailments. As a sun-loving plant, thyme can also be planted in dry borders or in pots, which allows it to be kept close to the kitchen.