What's eating my broad-leaved thyme?

Broad-leaved thyme (Thymus pulegioides) is a low-maintenance herb whose pungent oils deter most pests. Spittlebugs are the most likely visitor in early summer, and aphids occasionally colonise tender new growth. In damp gardens, slugs may nibble young shoots. Deer and rabbits generally ignore all thyme species.

White frothy blobs around stems in May to June; enclosed nymphs suck sap and distort soft shoot tips Remove by hand or blast off with water; plants recover readily; no chemical treatment is normally required

Colonies of small green or greyish insects on young shoot tips; honeydew deposits and occasional leaf curl Use insecticidal soap spray; attract hoverflies and parasitic wasps with companion planting of umbellifers nearby

Irregular holes and ragged margins on leaves, particularly on young plants in cool damp weather Scatter iron phosphate pellets or use copper tape around container plants; improve drainage to make soil less hospitable