Thyme 'Doone Valley' – Variegated Lemon Thyme (Set of 3 or 6)

Thyme 'Doone Valley' is a creeping, lemon-scented thyme with dark green leaves splashed and edged in gold.

This is one of the mat-forming thymes rather than the upright bushy kind, so it spreads into a low aromatic carpet rather than making a shrub. That is what makes it useful along a gravel path, between paving, over the front of a rockery or spilling from the edge of a container, where it releases its scent whenever anyone brushes or walks on it. In summer it carries clusters of small pale pink to lilac flowers, and bees work them constantly.

The leaves are as good in the kitchen as they are underfoot, fresh or dried, and they bring a distinct lemon note that plain garden thyme does not have. Plant it in a sunny, sheltered spot in light, sandy or gritty soil. Once established it is drought tolerant and needs almost nothing from you beyond a light trim after flowering. What it will not stand is sitting wet, so drainage matters more than anything else. Each plant is supplied as an established 1 litre root ball, ready to plant out.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Lemon thyme, Doone Valley thyme
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 10cm to 15cm tall by 25cm to 30cm wide
• Growth Habit: Low-growing, mat-forming, creeping evergreen
• Perfect For: Gravel gardens, paving joints, rockeries, border edging, herb gardens, patio pots
• Foliage: Small, dark green with golden-yellow variegation, lemon-scented, evergreen
• Flowering Time: Late spring into summer, pale pink to lilac
• Planting Position: Full sun. Takes dry soil once established and grows well in containers
• Soil Type: Light, sandy or gritty, sharply drained
• Hardiness: Fully hardy across Britain provided the soil drains freely. It is winter wet, not cold, that kills thyme
• Maintenance: Low. Trim lightly after flowering
• Seasonal Interest: Spring and summer
• Type: Evergreen perennial herb, grow your own