Teucrium marum - Germander

Teucrium marum, sometimes called cat thyme, is one of those small plants that are essential in arid rock gardens and dry Mediterranean gardens: it forms beautiful cushions which are evergreen in winter and well-flowered with purplish pink in summer, even in the most difficult soils. In addition to its ornamental qualities, it is a particularly aromatic plant, known and used in homeopathy. Its foliage contains strongly aromatic essential oils, with a pungent scent reminiscent of mustard and ether. A true Mediterranean plant, this cousin of thyme dislikes shade and excessive water, whether in winter or summer.

Teucrium marum is a woody-based herbaceous perennial plant of the Lamiaceae family, related to lavenders, thymes, and catmints. It is a species native to the western Mediterranean islands. It has a rounded and upright cushion habit, composed of numerous leafy stems. Eventually, it will reach about 25 cm (10in) in height and spread over 30 cm (12in). The foliage, highly aromatic when crushed, is evergreen in winter. It consists of small narrow leaves, directly attached to upright stems. These leaves, as well as the stems, are covered with a light grey to whitish felt with a silvery appearance. The flowering is particularly abundant, occurring between June and August depending on the climate. The small two-lipped flowers arise from the axils of the leaves, all facing the same direction. Their colour is a pinkish-purple to violet-pink, and they are rich in nectar, attracting bees.

This little known germander is a very attractive rock garden plant that requires no care, and is easy to combine with a whole range of small plants in a dry garden: thymes, rockroses, lavenders, carpetting wormwoods, Helichrysums, Euphorbia myrsinites, Teucrium hircanicum, sedums, catananches... It also makes attractive borders, paired with small perennial geraniums (Geranium sanguineum, Geranium macrorrhizum, Geranium renardii) or even with Echinops ritro. 

Advice to happy cat owners: protect young plants from these little felines until they are well rooted and developed. The scent of the foliage drives them crazy to the point that they roll on the plant until they uproot it. Use, for example, stakes surrounded by a piece of wire mesh.