How to Grow Thymus P. Coccineus

Thymus praecox, or mother-of-thyme, is a creeping species of thyme commonly cultivated as an herb and fragrant ground cover. Several ornamental cultivars exist, including one with reddish-purple flowers called Coccineus. Thymus praecox "Coccineus" works well throughout the garden, both as a trailing plant for raised beds and as a low-traffic ground cover between stepping stones or borders. Like most types of thyme, Coccineus grows effortlessly and needs little care, but it must be grown using divisions since it's a man-made cultivar and will not grow true from seed.

Trowel
Gardening knife
Peat pots, 3-inch

Instructions

- 1
  Water the Thymus praecox "Coccineus" plant thoroughly before dividing it. Run water at the base of the plant until the soil feels moist at a depth of 2 inches.
- 2
  Dig up the entire Coccineus. Insert a trowel 2 to 3 inches deep into the soil around the plant. Work the trowel underneath the plant at an angle to lift the roots from the surrounding soil.
- 3
  Set the plant on a large work surface outdoors. Shake lightly to dislodge the soil from around the roots.
- 4
  Cut the Coccineus plant into equal portions, measuring at least 2 inches squared. Carefully cut through the roots with a gardening knife, allotting an equal portion of roots to each division.
- 5
  Plant the Coccineus divisions directly in the garden bed under the same conditions as the parent plant, or grow them in 3-inch peat pots filled with potting soil.
- 6
  Water the divisions to a depth of 1 inch once a week. Do not let the soil dry out for more than a day during the rooting process, or the plants will go into shock and die.
- 7
  Keep the pot-grown divisions out of direct sunlight while they establish a vigorous root system. Plant them in the garden bed once a flush of new growth emerges at the tips of the stems.

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