Thymus pseudolanuginosus - Thyme

Thymus pseudolanuginosus, also known as wild thyme or woolly thyme, is an adorable little creeping ornamental thyme that forms large woolly-looking carpet-like mats, as soft to the eye as it is to the touch. Rare small clusters of pale-pink flowers dot its beautiful aromatic vegetation in late spring or early summer. It forms a very low, uniform and highly spreading ground cover. It is superb in rockeries. It can also be used to fill in the gaps between paving stones or as a wall cover. It thrives in full sun and in very well-drained soils, even ones that are dry in summer.

Thymus pseudolanuginosus, like all thymes, belongs to the Lamiaceae family. Its origin is uncertain and subject to discussion among specialists: it may be a hybrid between the species T. praecox and T. serpyllum, although it is considered by some botanists as a separate species. It thrives perfectly in limestone and tolerates summer drought once well rooted. It is a perfectly hardy plant in well-drained soil.

This perennial undershrub forms a dense carpet of quadrangular and very hairy, creeping, highly branched stems, with little lignification at the base, which easily root upon contact with the ground. Reaching a height of 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in), woolly thyme spreads quite rapidly over 60cm (24in) to 1m (3ft). The tiny round leaves, which persist even in winter, are tightly packed on very short secondary stems. They are covered with numerous small stiff and silky white hairs, responsible for the fluffy appearance and grey-green colour of the foliage. This woolly vegetation also gives off a very pleasant fragrance when touched or crushed. The small pale lavender-pink flowers sporadically appear in June (from May to July depending on the region), clustered in heads. However, it is possible for woolly thyme not to flower at all. Its flowers are popular with bees.

Wild thyme is mainly cultivated for the beauty of its foliage than for its flowering. It deserves a prominent place in a warm and dry rockery. It is a perfect ground cover at the base of shrubs trimmed into topiaries. It can also be planted in a container or on top of a wall, where it can cascade like a velvet curtain. Some gardeners use it to replace lawns in lightly trafficked areas, on embankments, or around stepping stones, where it softens the edges. It is also suitable for creating green roofs. Combine Thymus pseudolanuginosus with sedums, houseleeks, erodiums, erigerons, or oreganos, for example.