Thyme Archers Gold

Description

Thymus ‘Archer’s Gold’ – golden thyme

Botanical name: Thymus ‘Archer’s Gold’
Common names: Golden thyme
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Plant type: Evergreen aromatic sub-shrub
Habit: Low, creeping, mat-forming
Pot size: 1 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 8–10cm tall × 30cm spread
Foliage: Tiny, aromatic bright golden-yellow leaves forming a low mat, brightest in cool weather; evergreen
Flowers: Small pink flowers in summer (June–August)
Scent: Aromatic foliage
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Sharply drained; poor to average; tolerates lime; dislikes wet; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H6 (hardy, to about −20°C); USDA zones 5–9
Exposure: Open, hot, dry, sunny
Native range: Garden form; thymes are native to Europe and the Mediterranean
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Thymus ‘Archer’s Gold’ is a low, spreading golden thyme with bright yellow aromatic foliage and pink summer flowers. Cheerful and drought-tolerant, it lights up gravel, edging, paving and containers.

GardenAdvice notes

A low, aromatic evergreen sub-shrub, thyme is one of the toughest and most useful of all herbs, forming spreading, fragrant mats of tiny aromatic leaves smothered in summer with flowers that bees find irresistible. It thrives on hot, dry, poor, sharply drained soils and is wonderfully drought-tolerant.

Growing & planting

Plant in spring in sharply drained, poor to average soil in full sun — thyme needs sun and excellent drainage and dislikes rich, wet, heavy ground, which is its main enemy. It tolerates lime and drought. It is ideal for planting in the gaps between paving and on the tops of walls, where it will spread into fragrant mats. Improve heavy soil with plenty of grit. Space about 25–30cm apart.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. Trim over lightly after flowering to keep it neat and compact and to stop it going woody, but avoid cutting hard back into the old, bare wood. Water only while establishing; thereafter it is very drought-tolerant. Keep it on the dry side, especially over winter, to avoid rot.

Propagation

• Cuttings: Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
• Division: Divide or detach rooted pieces of creeping types in spring.
• Layering: Creeping thymes root as they spread and rooted pieces can be lifted.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free in a sunny, well-drained spot. Its main enemy is wet, heavy soil, which causes rot, and old plants go woody and bare in the middle. Otherwise little troubled by pests.

Uses in the garden

Superb for planting between paving and stepping stones, in gravel, cascading over walls and raised beds, in rockeries and as fragrant, drought-tolerant groundcover in a sunny, well-drained spot, releasing its scent when trodden on or brushed.

Wildlife value

Thyme is one of the very best plants of all for pollinators: its summer flowers are absolutely alive with bees and other beneficial insects.

Toxicity & safety

This herb is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

‘Archer’s Gold’ earns its place for its bright gold foliage, which glows at the front of a sunny bed, in gravel or spilling from a pot, and lifts the garden even out of flower. Its colour is brightest in good light and cool weather; give it full sun and sharp drainage, and a light trim after flowering to keep it dense.

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