Thymus vulgaris.

The Greeks burned it in their temples and saw in its name the root of thymos, courage; the Romans rubbed themselves with it before battle; and in the Middle Ages, ladies embroidered a sprig of thyme on the scarf they gave their knight. It's also one of the herbs the Egyptians used in embalming. Few garden plants drag so many centuries behind them for so simple a perfume.

Common thyme is an emblematic aromatic plant of sun-drenched gardens and Mediterranean landscapes. A small shrub with fine evergreen leaves, it forms compact tufts with a powerful, warm and comforting fragrance. At the slightest touch, its branches release an intense aroma blending woody, resinous and lightly citrus notes.

Through summer, thyme covers itself in a multitude of small pink to mauve flowers that draw bees and pollinators, transforming the garden into a space humming with life. Drought-tolerant and undemanding, it thrives in poor rocky soils, where it brings a natural and authentic touch.

In the kitchen it perfumes soups, vegetables, grilled meats and sauces with an incomparable aromatic depth, and it's one of the five canonical ingredients of herbes de Provence. It also has the rare quality of standing up very well to long cooking: where basil and parsley evaporate in a few minutes, thyme holds through the whole simmer.

Grower's tip: two things to know. First, the seeds are minute and need light: lay them on the surface without covering, mist rather than water, and count on 14 to 21 days for emergence. Second — and this is the point that decides whether it gets through the winter: it isn't cold that kills thyme in Québec, it's moisture. A thyme planted in heavy ground that stays soaked at the March thaw rots at the base, while the same plant in raised sandy soil crosses far worse cold without flinching. Poor soil, sharp drainage, and definitely no generous compost. Cut back by a third each spring to keep it from going woody and sparse.

• Open-pollinated. Perennial plant that attracts bees. Hardy in zones 4 to 5 with sharp drainage.
• Grows to ~15-25 cm (6-10") in ~90 days.
• Exposure: full sun.
• Poor, dry, perfectly drained soil, neutral to alkaline. Standing moisture kills it, not cold. Space 25-30 cm apart.
• Start indoors 8 to 10 weeks before planting out, on the surface without covering.
• Cut back by a third in spring. An established plant produces for 4 to 5 years.