Thyme grows close to the ground: small clumps spread over stone-step cracks and slopes; step on one and the scent clings to your sole—only later do you realize the road you walked had a smell.

A Low Clump That Leaves Its Scent Where You Step

Thyme grows close to the ground: small clumps spread over stone-step cracks and slopes, the leaves so tiny you nearly have to feel them with your fingertip. Step on one and the scent clings to your sole; walk some way before you notice that the road you just crossed has a smell.

Its stems creep, woody at the base, able to grip stone cracks and sandy soil—a plant that never seems to want more than its share of ground.

— Botany Notes, self-inscription —

Creeping low, it claims no three feet of earth;

passers-by leave with scent to spare.

The Northern “Ground Pepper”

Old books call it dijiao (“ground pepper”); on northern grasslands and sunny slopes it grows everywhere. Herdsmen put a handful in mutton stew to remove the gamey smell and lift the flavor—a pot of soup thereby tasting of the wild hills.

In Europe the same herb was the courage herb: knights wore a sprig before battle. Both sides used it to fortify themselves—one for the stomach’s courage, one for the heart’s. Both arguments hold.

Groundcover for Stone Cracks

Thyme tolerates drought and trampling and loves light—a natural groundcover for rock gardens and the gaps between path stones: planted along stone steps, walkers cannot trample it down; they only trample out a trail of scent.

In gardens it is often planted with sedums and pinks in dry habitats, composing a small drought-tolerant landscape. Little water, plenty of light—the more it resembles a hillside, the better it grows.

• How to know it: Small subshrub; stems creeping and woody; leaves tiny, ovate, opposite; flowers purplish-red, crowded into heads, blooming June–August.
• Season: Blooms June–August, bees and butterflies coming and going; after flowering it may be cut once, and new leaves return in autumn.
• Caution: Loves light, hates waterlogging; damp shade rots the roots; medicinal use must follow a physician’s guidance.

In the Kitchen and the Herb Cabinet

As a spice it pairs best with meat, eggs, and mushrooms, and is often blended with rosemary and basil into mixed herbs. Its flavor is gentler than rosemary’s and stands up to long simmering.

The whole plant enters medicine too—folk use for calming coughs and aiding digestion, among others. As medicine, follow the physician; in ordinary households the more common use is the pot—the steadiest place for a herb is usually by the stove.

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Keywords: thyme · ground pepper · rock garden · the north