Wild thyme: growing from seed, harvesting and uses

In short: Wild thyme is a low perennial herb related to thyme. You can easily grow it from seed: sow it on the surface of the compost in March, it emerges in 10–21 days and you plant it out in May in a sunny, dry spot. The herb is harvested at the start of flowering, from June to August.

You know wild thyme from outings: violet-pink cushions on field margins, slopes and in the grass of dry hills, which smell fragrant when you step on them. In the garden it is one of the most rewarding herbs. It needs no feeding, hardly any watering, and spreads a little further every year.

Even a beginner can grow it from seed, but must know one thing: the seeds are as small as dust and germinate only in the light. Anyone who covers them with soil waits in vain.

Sowing wild thyme from seed step by step

A gram of seed holds thousands of grains. Raising plants on a windowsill is the surest way; direct sowing in the bed often gets lost among weeds.

1. Timing. Sow from mid-March to April. The plants then have time to strengthen before winter and may produce their first flowers already in the first summer.
2. Compost. Use seed compost mixed with sand or perlite in a ratio of roughly 3 : 1. Level the surface and dampen it with a sprayer.
3. Sowing. Mix the seeds with a teaspoon of dry sand so that they can be spread evenly, and scatter them over the surface. Just press them down with a board; do not cover them.
4. Germination. Cover the tray with film or the lid of a mini propagator and put it in the light at 18–20 °C. Water only by misting. The first seedlings appear after 10–21 days.
5. Pricking out. When the seedlings have 2 pairs of true leaves, transplant them 3–5 at a time into small pots or seed trays. Clumps establish better than single plants.
6. Hardening off and planting. In the first half of May, put them outside in a sheltered spot for a week, then plant them 20–25 cm apart. Water after planting, and afterwards only in long dry spells.

You will find general advice on germinating tiny seeds that need light in the article Germinating seeds – techniques for every type of plant.

Propagation without seeds

If you already have wild thyme, the fastest way to multiply it is by dividing a clump in spring or by taking rooted stems. Creeping shoots root by themselves; simply separate them with a spade in April and replant. In spring you can also take cuttings: 5–8 cm long shoots root in damp sand in 3–4 weeks.

Where to plant wild thyme

Wild thyme wants what other plants cannot stand: full sun and dry, poor, free-draining soil. In rich and moist ground it will grow, but it flops, smells less and may rot in winter.

• A rock garden and a dry-stone wall. An ideal place. Wild thyme fills the gaps between stones and ripens well there in autumn. How to prepare such a place is described in the article Creating a rock garden.
• Between paving slabs and stepping stones. It tolerates the occasional footstep and then smells lovely. It is not for the main path that is walked on daily, though.
• An herb spiral and a dry bed. It belongs in the upper, driest part together with thyme, rosemary and sage. You will find a comparison of these herbs in the article Rosemary, thyme, oregano – Mediterranean herbs in a Czech garden.
• A window box and a bowl. It works, but the container must have holes and drainage. Mix a third of sand or perlite into the compost.

The ideal pH is neutral to slightly alkaline (6.5–8). You can improve acidic soil under conifers with a little limestone or crushed stone.

What wild thyme does not tolerate

• Covered seeds. Under a layer of soil, wild thyme does not germinate. Just press down.
• Waterlogging. The main cause of death, especially in winter in heavy soil. Always a free-draining base.
• Feeding and compost. The plant grows but flops and loses its scent.
• Shade. Under trees and in partial shade it thins out and does not flower.
• Thoughtless collecting in the wild. In protected areas herbs must not be collected, and everywhere else take only part of a stand. From your own garden it is simpler.

Care through the year

Feeding is not needed. Every 4–5 years old stands thin out in the middle and become woody; then divide them and replant the young edges of the clump.

Harvesting and drying

The flowering herb is collected, that is the top 5–10 cm of stems with leaves and flowers. It has the most aromatic compounds at the start of flowering, on a dry, sunny day around midday, when the dew has dried.

1. Cut the herb with scissors, do not pull it, or you will pull up whole stems with their roots.
2. Spread it in a thin layer on paper or a sieve in shade and a draught. In direct sun it loses scent and colour.
3. At 20–25 °C it is dry in 5–8 days; in a dehydrator at most 35 °C is enough.
4. Crumble the dry leaves and flowers off the stems and store in a dark airtight tin. It keeps its scent for about a year.

Wild thyme in the kitchen: herb salt and other uses

In the kitchen, wild thyme is used like thyme, only it is milder. It suits roast meat, potatoes, pulses and mushrooms. Add fresh leaves at the end of cooking and dried ones at the start so that the scent has time to be released.

Herb salt with wild thyme

1. Weigh out 100 g of coarse sea salt or rock salt.
2. Add 2 heaped spoons (about 4 g) of dried and crumbled wild thyme. If you like, add a teaspoon of dried lemon zest.
3. Blitz briefly in a spice grinder or grind in a mortar so that the scent is released and the herbs are evenly dispersed.
4. Pour into a dry sealable jar and use within half a year.

A ratio of roughly 1 : 25 (4 g of herb per 100 g of salt) gives a gentle scent; for a stronger one, use twice the herbs. Do not put fresh leaves in the salt; the salt would become damp and could go mouldy.

The herb is also used to make scented sachets for the wardrobe or herbal baths.

Wild thyme in herbalism

Wild thyme herb (Serpylli herba) is a pharmacopoeial drug, and the requirements for its quality are described by the European Pharmacopoeia. The European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy, ESCOP, lists it in a 2014 monograph for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract; its essential oil contains mainly carvacrol. Wild thyme has no separate monograph from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The EMA has, however, assessed the related thyme (Thymus vulgaris and T. zygis) and classes its preparations as traditional herbal medicinal products for productive cough associated with a cold, mostly from 12 years, some from 4 years.

Traditionally, a tea is prepared from wild thyme: pour 250 ml of boiling water over 1–2 teaspoons of dried herb and leave to steep for 10 minutes. In folk herbalism it was drunk mainly for colds and cough, and people like it simply for the taste. A homemade tea is, however, not a registered medicinal product and has no set dose or length of use. A cough that lasts longer than a week or gets worse belongs with a doctor. In pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for children and if you take medicines, consult a doctor or pharmacist about regular drinking. Anyone allergic to plants of the mint family (thyme, oregano, lavender) should avoid wild thyme.

Essential oil from wild thyme

The oil sold as "wild thyme" is made from wild thyme or related wild species of thyme. On the label, look for the Latin name and the chemotype. The essential oil of wild thyme tends to be rich in the phenols carvacrol and thymol, which strongly irritate the skin and mucous membranes. That is why the oil is never applied undiluted, on the skin it is diluted to at most 1% in a carrier oil, it does not belong in pregnancy and it is never taken internally.

Children: An oil with carvacrol and thymol does not belong on children's skin or near the face. When diffusing in a room with a child, the rules from the Tisserand and Young handbook (Essential Oil Safety, 2nd ed. 2014) apply: only briefly, 2–3 drops, with ventilation and not by the cot. Keep the bottle out of the reach of children, and in case of ingestion call the Toxicological Information Centre 224 919 293 or 224 915 402.

Cats and other animals: Cats cannot break down many substances from essential oils well. Do not apply any oil to their fur or into their bowls. The riskiest are tea tree, peppermint and other mints, eucalyptus, conifers (pine, fir, spruce, juniper, cypress), citrus (orange, lemon, grapefruit, bergamot), cinnamon, clove, thyme and oregano, gaultheria (wintergreen), ylang-ylang and pennyroyal. In a flat with a cat, run a diffuser only briefly, in a well-ventilated room and always so that the cat can leave. Do not run a diffuser at all in a room with birds.

The details are summarised in the article Safe use of essential oils.

Wild thyme or thyme? How they differ

Both plants belong to the genus Thymus and are often interchanged in the kitchen and in herbalism. The mix-up does no harm; it is just good to know what you are growing. Wild thyme is our native wild herb, whereas common thyme comes from the Mediterranean. You will find more about it in the article Common thyme.

Several species of wild thyme grow here. The most common is large thyme (Thymus pulegioides) on field margins, pastures and slopes. Breckland thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is rarer in the wild and grows mainly on sandy ground. Seed in shops is nevertheless most often sold under the name Thymus serpyllum, which is used rather as a trade designation for "wild thyme". For growing in the garden the difference is negligible; both species have the same requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Is wild thyme a perennial?

Yes. It is a perennial, fully frost-hardy herb that overwinters outdoors without protection. It lasts 4–5 years in one place, after which it is good to divide and rejuvenate the clump.

When is wild thyme harvested?

At the start of flowering, usually from June to August. The upper part of the flowering herb is collected on a dry day around midday and dried in shade.

How long does it take for wild thyme to emerge from seed?

At 18–20 °C and in the light it germinates in 10–21 days. The seeds are not covered, just pressed onto the damp compost. The first harvest is usually in the first summer, a full mat only in the second year.

Can wild thyme be grown in a pot?

Yes, if the container has drainage holes, drainage at the bottom and a third of sand or perlite in the compost. It does best outdoors on a sunny balcony. In a flat without direct sun it thins out.

What is the difference between wild thyme and thyme?

Wild thyme is a low creeping herb from our slopes with a milder scent, whereas thyme is an upright Mediterranean small shrub with a sharper taste. In the kitchen they are interchangeable, and wild thyme is also fully frost-hardy.

Is wild thyme a medicine?

Wild thyme herb is a pharmacopoeial drug and is traditionally used for cough and colds. A homemade tea is, however, not a registered medicinal product. Deal with a persistent cough with a doctor.

Can wild thyme be used instead of a lawn?

In a dry sunny place with little traffic, yes, for example around stepping stones. It will not, however, withstand daily walking or children playing, and in summer, when it is in flower, lots of bees fly to it.

What you will need for sowing

The recommended products are from our range.

• Wild thyme – seed – seeds for raising on a windowsill and for a rock garden, in stock.
• Common thyme – seed – if you want an upright culinary thyme alongside wild thyme. It may be killed by frost in a hard winter.
• Windowsill mini propagator 44 × 15 × 10 cm – keeps moisture in during the germination of tiny seeds on a window.
• Perlite Forestina 2–4 mm – for aerating seed compost and window-box compost.
• BIO Wild Thyme – essential oil 10 ml – for an oil burner or diluted to at most 1% in a massage oil. It does not suit a household with a cat.

Sources

• Thyme (Thymi herba): summary for the public, EMA/HMPC (2016)
• Serpylli herba (Wild Thyme), ESCOP monograph (2014)
• Cats and Essential Oil Safety (Tisserand Institute)
• Essential Oil and Liquid Potpourri Poisoning in Cats (VCA Animal Hospitals)

Updated: 27 September 2026