Wondering if thyme is a perennial that comes back after winter?
Here’s what to know.
Thyme is actually a large group of herbaceous and evergreen plants with both upright and trailing or spreading varieties.
Credit:Matthew Benson
is yes, thyme plants are perennials that can live for many years.
That’s because the culinary punch in of thyme(Thymus vulgaris)comes in many varieties.
Perhaps the most commonly seen are summer thyme and winter thyme.
Summer thyme, also called French thyme, is a smaller plant with a light flavor.
Winter thyme, also called German thyme, is a bit larger and more cold-hardy.
English thyme is a third variety ofT.
vulgaris, often called common or garden thyme.
It is viewed as having the strongest flavor of the three.
All of theseculinary thyme varieties are perennial plants.
And each one istasty when harvestedand added to recipes.
They just have slightly different growth habits and flavors.
Common thyme is less vigorous in that regard and usually creates a small shrub instead.
It will readily come back from the base.
Thyme is tricky to grow from seed, but that doesnt mean you cant.
They are notoriously slow to sprout and can take three weeks, even in perfect conditions.
you gotta start about 8-10 weeks before yourlast frost date.
