Thymus praecox 'pygmaeus'

Thymus praecox 'Pygmaeus' is a dwarf cultivar selected from Thymus praecox, a subshrub of the Lamiaceae family. The type species is widely distributed in Europe, from the Mediterranean peninsulas to mountainous areas, where it colonizes dry lawns, rockeries, and rock crevices, sometimes up to more than 2,000 meters in altitude.

This cultivar forms a dense, very compact, and slightly domed cushion, hardly exceeding 3 to 5 cm in height. The woody stems at the base bear small, bright green oval leaves, slightly leathery, with a finely wrinkled surface and ciliated edges, arranged in tight pairs that give the whole a very dense and meticulous texture, clearly visible here among the stones.

The flowers are pink to pink-purple, gathered in small terminal heads. In its natural habitat, the species blooms from May to July depending on the altitude. In cultivation, this cultivar generally blooms in May-June.

It requires full sun and very rigorous drainage. Its extreme miniaturization makes it a choice subject for alpine troughs, gravel gardens, and compositions close to the rock, where its tight cushion habit faithfully evokes the vegetation forms of high-altitude screes.