Thyme is a valuable culinary herb, not only in the Mediterranean kitchen. Both the leaves and flowers of this aromatic herb are edible. But what happens when the thyme blooms?
In a nutshell
- Thyme flowers do not need to be cut off
- the herb can be used before, during and after flowering
- Flowering time varies depending on the variety, earliest flowering from May
- Aroma most intense before flowering
- to preserve shoots better cut before flowering
When thyme blooms
Thyme (Thymus), also known as Quendel, can be harvested almost all year round, regardless of whether it is in bloom or not. Both the shoots and leaves as well as the small pink or purple inflorescences can be used.
- most varieties flower between June and July
- some even in August
- depending on location and weather conditions even until October
- can be eaten with and during flowering without any problems
- flowering thyme is neither inedible nor poisonous
- Aroma not as intense as before flowering
- Essential oil content decreases with flowering
- Blossoms and leaves are also good dried herbs
Flowering thyme can be harvested and processed without any problems.
As a result, you can still harvest this kitchen herb without any problems and, if necessary, also dry it when it is already in flower. Then it can be used, for example, as a herb or to garnish dishes. Thyme blossoms are best used fresh or dried accordingly.
Tip: It is best to choose a dry and sunny day for harvesting. The best time of day is midday when the flowers are open and the sun provides an intense aroma.
Cut before flowering
If you cut thyme in spring just before or at the beginning of flowering, it is at its most aromatic, as already mentioned. This is especially important if you want to dry or otherwise preserve the herb. In this case, pruning before flowering makes sense. You can cut it down by up to two thirds without any problems, but without cutting into parts that are already woody, because here it will not sprout again.
Dried thyme bouquet
After cutting, the harvested crops can be bundled into small bouquets and hung to dry in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place. It is dry within eight to ten days and can be stored accordingly.
missed bloom?
Regardless of whether you prune the thyme flowers or not, thyme can and should be pruned regularly. If you do without, the bushes will become more and more bare and soon no longer provide any significant yields. If the time before flowering was missed, you should make up for it immediately after flowering.
- Immediately after flowering, cut off wilted and faded shoots
- leave healthy shoots
- This allows the plant to put more power into the herb
- don't cut off too much
- generally do not cut at all from August onwards
- no more fertilizing
- anything else would affect winter hardiness
Regular pruning of thyme is recommended.
If you wait too long with the cut, it would encourage the plants to form new shoots again. This in turn would mean that these fresh shoots would not be able to ripen in time before winter and would usually freeze to death. In addition, the resulting wounds can no longer heal. Because of this, a radical pruning before flowering makes the most sense. If in doubt, it is better to wait until spring.
Tip: If you still want to harvest or cut off thyme in autumn despite everything, you should limit yourself to a few herbaceous tips.
frequently asked Questions
How can you use the thyme flowers?On the one hand they can be used as an edible decoration for bread, salads and other dishes and on the other hand you can put them together with the leaves in vinegar, oil or honey, for example, to make your own thyme oil or a delicious thyme honey. In addition, the flowering herb also makes a very aromatic and healthy tea.
When should you specifically harvest the flowers?Flowers are best harvested shortly before serving, as they wither quite quickly. In most cases, however, one harvests not only the flowers, which are very small, by the way, but small flowering branches, they are particularly decorative.
Does it make sense to leave some thyme flowers for seed formation?This is of course possible, but not worthwhile, especially for sowing, because thyme sows itself and is much easier to propagate from cuttings. However, the seeds are edible, so it might make sense to leave some buds in place. Like the seeds, they are no longer quite as aromatic as the leaves. In addition, thyme blossoms are a popular bee pasture, so you are also doing something good for the insects.