The leaves and flowers of the perennial Silver Queen thyme look great on an alpine hill, decorate flower beds, and are used in cooking and folk medicine.
For a long time, thyme, or thyme, was considered a divine herb that restored health to the sick and life to the dying. In the Middle Ages, women embroidered the plant on their husbands' shirts, believing that it would bestow strength and courage. In Rus', icons were decorated with grass when the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary was celebrated, and it was used to treat all diseases.In Ancient Greece, thyme began to be added to food.
Specifics of Silver Queen
Lemon-scented thyme was discovered much later. This low shrub with a slightly pubescent stem arose in the process of natural crossing of two types of thyme - flea and common. It can be spreading and can be found growing upward. Both the leaves and the spike-like inflorescences smell like lemon.
Most popular among varieties of this type of thyme uses Silver Queen. The height of the stem does not exceed 20 cm, peduncles - 30. The subshrub has a hummocky shape and has ascending shoots. Oval leaves with short petioles differ:
- light green;
- edges curved down;
- glands in the form of dots;
- white border;
- silver inserts.
The perennial grows up to 80 cm in width. Small lilac flowers at the ends of the branches are collected in spike-shaped clusters and attract bees with their smell. The aroma contains notes of anise, lemon and cumin. The buds on thyme appear in June. In August, the capsule-like fruits ripen. They contain nuts and seeds.
Beneficial features
The top part of lemon thyme is used in cooking. The spice improves the taste of fish and meat and is used in the production of alcoholic beverages and in the canning industry. In the gardens, Silver Queen fills rock gardens with a flowering carpet, decorates borders, paths, and stone slopes, spreading a pleasant scent around. The plant is rich in:
- organic acids;
- essential oils;
- flavonoids;
- resins;
- tannins.
Thyme tincture Silver Queen used for pneumonia, bronchitis. Compresses and baths made from the stems and leaves of the plant reduce pain from arthritis, gout, and bruises.
Medicines from the aromatic subshrub are used in the treatment of:
- women's diseases;
- severe cold;
- pathologies of the digestive tract.
Thyme oil heals wounds, the decoction eliminates dandruff, and copes with acne. The components present in Silver Queen have a negative effect on bacteria and calm the nerves.
Landing dates
Hybrid varieties of thyme are sown in open ground in the spring; this can also be done in the fall. The culture develops slowly, to speed up its growth, seedlings are planted in March, which are then moved to a flowerbed or garden bed. In the summer months, thyme is propagated by dividing the bush or using harvested cuttings. Sprouts appear when the air temperature leaves 20 degrees.
Seed preparation
Every plot owner can grow a fragrant green carpet in the garden, but Silver Queen seedlings take a long time to sprout due to the high content of essential oils. Material for planting thyme should be collected in early autumn, when the flowering of the subshrub stops. So that it does not rot, but is well stored, it is dried. Immediately before sowing, the seeds should be kept in warm water for up to 12 hours.
Soil preparation
Silver Queen Thyme loves the sun. It also grows in the shade, but then the stems stretch out and the thyme does not produce flower stalks. It is advisable to choose a site for semi-shrubs in places that are not penetrated by wind. Thyme takes root in rocky soil, but loves light, fertile soil and dies when water stagnates.
The bed for lemon-smelling thyme needs to be dug up with a bayonet or two shovels, the remains of the previous crop and weeds must be removed. It is better to do this in the fall, repeat in the spring and loosen. Soil with high acidity is limed.The soil is fed with organic matter and minerals.
Landing
Thyme seeds are sown in the garden bed in early spring to a depth of up to a centimeter, leaving about 20 cm between rows. The holes are sprinkled with earth on top and covered with film until the sprouts emerge.
To speed up the appearance of a green carpet, first prepare the seedlings. To do this, peat and sand are placed in the container. The soil is watered and the seeds are buried 5 cm into it. The box is placed in a warm place and covered with polyethylene. When shoots appear, the container is transferred to the windowsill. The bushes are watered and thinned. In May, thyme seedlings are moved into open ground along with the soil. To prevent water from stagnating, sand is poured into the bottom of the holes.
Plant care
Silver Queen thyme will delight you with its aroma and massive flowering only if the basic conditions for growth and development are provided. In addition to choosing a site and preparing the soil, you need to pull out the weeds by the roots and loosen the soil so that air can reach the roots.
Watering
Thyme tolerates drought normally, only when there is no rain for a long time and it is hot, you need to moisten the soil in the garden bed or garden. Water will not evaporate quickly when mulching the soil with straw and sand. We must not allow it to stagnate.
After watering, which is enough to do once a week, the soil is well loosened.
Fertilizers
Silver Queen thyme also grows on rocky slopes, but blooms luxuriantly in fertile areas. When digging up the ground in the fall, organic matter is added to it - compost, rotted manure. In the spring, until the thyme shoots emerge, the beds are sprinkled with ash and fed with urea. They fertilize the crop during pruning, which is done when the thyme fades. In regions where there is little snow in winter, hybrid varieties of thyme are covered with spruce branches.
Diseases and pests
Insects do not like the fragrant substances present in thyme; most of them do not land on the green carpet. Not afraid of smell:
- weevils;
- meadow moths;
- aphid.
To protect against these pests, thyme is sprayed with insecticides. When water stagnates, the roots rot and the thyme becomes infected with a fungus. It tolerates excess moisture much worse than drought.
Collection and storage
Silver Queen thyme is grown not only to decorate flower beds and alpine gardens, but also as a seasoning and medicine. To prevent thyme from losing its smell and bitter taste, you must follow the rules for its collection and storage. Leaves and stems are added to meat and fish. They need to be harvested when the plant is blooming. Dry the thyme without washing, spreading it evenly on cloth or paper in a well-ventilated area. You should not leave thyme in the oven, as the essential oils will immediately evaporate.
Proper collection and storage allow Silver Queen thyme to be used not only as a spice, but also as a cure for heartburn, colds, for healing wounds, calming nerves, and reducing pain.
When collected in a timely manner and stored in a glass jar, thyme does not lose its beneficial properties for two years.
