Thymus ×citriodorus (lemon thyme)

Japanese name: レモンタイム
Scientific name: Thymus ×citriodorus

[Overview]
A small evergreen shrub about 10–30 cm tall.
The whole plant has a lemon-like fragrance.
The stems branch well from the base.
Leaves are simple and opposite, rhombic-ovate to lanceolate, with entire margins.
The leaves have glandular dots.
The flowers are borne in whorled clusters at the stem tips; they are two-lipped and pale purple.
Four stamens protrude from the corolla.

[History]
It is said to be a hybrid with Tachi-jakosou (thyme) as one parent, but recent DNA analysis has led some to hold that it is not a hybrid.

[Uses]
It contains essential oil and is used medicinally and in cooking, as well as in potpourri and other items.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by cuttings, or by division.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, calcareous soil.
It does better on the dry side, so water only after the soil surface has dried completely.
Keep it on the dry side in winter.
Watering is unnecessary for plants in the garden.
It dislikes heat and humidity, and if the plant becomes stuffy the leaves may die, so cut it back by 1/2–1/3 before summer to improve ventilation.
It is very cold-hardy, but the leaves may turn black if exposed to heavy frost.
It needs little fertilizer, and too much weakens the fragrance.
If growing it for harvest, harvest before flowering, because the fragrance weakens once the flowers open.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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