Having nightmares? Then place alittle thyme beneath your pillow before you go to sleep for thyme ensures a restful night's sleep! It is used in healing spells, worn aound the neck for good health, and is burned by the Greeks for purification and cleansing. It is carried by some to encourage energy and courage and to help some be able to see fairies!

Okay, these are not the usual uses of thyme! It is mostly used in the culinary department, for instance: to flavor poultry, stuffing, meat and vegetable dishes, eggs dishes, and soups. The thyme for this is what is called: thymus vulgaris. Other thymes would include a lemon thyme:thymus citriodorus, which has green round leaves, and also comes in a variegated form. There is caraway thyme: Thymus Herba-Barona, which tastes similiar to caraway. There are creeping thymes which include mother-of-thyme: thymus praecox. It creeps all over which makes for a great wall crawler but does not have the flavor of the regular garden thyme. All thymes are members of the mint family.

I lost quite a bit of my varieties of thymes this past year. After looking up the problem, I may have had them in an area that does not have good drainage. Plus, being I live on the edge of it's hardiness zone (5), I needed to protect it more with straw. It does not like to be wet, even with snow! Thymes like a light, sandy (for drainage) soil. They grow to be 2"-12" tall, depending on the variety. They will start with seeds, but not very easily! It is best to start with cuttings or root divisions in the spring, or by layering. To layer, lay a runner onto the ground, cover with soil, and wait till it roots before dividing. When planting, set the starts about 10" apart. These are excellent plants for walls, rock gardens, ground covers, and container gardening. Some have even planted thmye YARDS, and as you walk over them, a wonderful scent fills the air! You can plant thyme under garden benches, between paving stones, or as a path through your herb garden. Thyme, because of the different varieties, can be planted together for a low maintenance flower garden, for depending on the kind of thyme, the flowers come in different masses of color!

The different uses for thyme include just planting it for a low edge border, using it in flower arrangements, to cooking, to medicinal purposes, and crafts. For cooking, you can use it fresh or dried. To dry thyme, I myself lay it on a cookie sheet and place in a low temp oven for (until leaves are crumbly). I then strip the little branches and store in a lidded jar. It then can be used in cooking with fish, chicken, stuffings, marinades, and game. It can be used to flavor liquers and beef. For cosmetic uses, you can take and place thyme in your hot bath to help with stimulating circulation. You can also infuse thyme into your hair rinse by heating your hair rinse and add branches of thyme-letting it set for a few hours (or leave it in the bottle until rinse is gone). By doing this rinse infusion, you will be helping your hair be rid of dandruff. Medicinally, thyme is wonderful! The variety: English wild thyme is the best to use. You can infuse a tea with thyme and it will help with hangovers!!and other digestive problems. Sweeten this tea with honey for sore throats and coughs, and also for muscular pain, poor circulation, and to help relieve insomnia. The essential oil of thyme can help with headaches and can be used for an antiseptic hair spray. A few different varieties of thyme are: