One of my favorite herbs and the first one I ever grew in my garden was thyme. I think it was Doone Valley Thyme - one of the taller versions with dusty purple blooms on fine foliage that just begged to be touched to release it’s fresh fragrance.
I’ve grown lemon thyme for using snipped - fresh or dried in meat dishes or stuffing. I love the look of creeping thyme especially in a rock garden or between stepping stones. And the silver or gold tipped foliage of some decorative thymes mixes so well with other gray and blue herbs in the garden or in colorful mixed pots with summer flowers.
Thyme can be started most easily for your garden by dividing mature plants in the spring.
Layering works well for propagating thyme too. Anchor some stems from a growing plant to the soil with a stone or wire. When roots have formed, snip the new little plant away from the old one and replant your new thyme plant.
Thyme seeds can be planted in a pot indoors in April. Press the tiny seeds into the soil and cover very lightly. Water the seeds and then cover the pot with a newspaper to keep the seeds dark until they germinate in about 2 weeks.
After flowering, give the thyme plants a good haircut. Large plants will probably need to be replaced every three years (or layer new plants around the old and just dig out the center and replant).
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