Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Teucrium marum

cat thyme

An evergreen, compact, bushy subshrub to around 40cm tall and wide. Aromatic leaves are small, oval grey-green with downy undersides and tiny, pink flowers are borne in late summer and autumn on spikes to 12cm long

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
7 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Drought resistance

Yes

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Lamiaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Potentially harmful: Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling LJD
Genus: Teucrium can be herbaceous perennials, deciduous or evergreen shrubs or sub-shrubs, with paired, aromatic leaves and tubular, 1-lipped flowers in whorls
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in a sheltered position with full sun in well-drained neutral to alkaline soil

Propagation

Propagate by seed, by softwood cuttings in early summer or semi-ripe cuttings in midsummer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Mediterranean climate plants
Patio and container plants
Rock garden
Wall side borders

Pruning

Trim back lightly after flowering

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.