Alpine Thymus Edibility

[meerkatmadam66]

Hi Can anyone help with my query. I've recently bought a potted plant from my local morrisons supermarket gardening section simply called "Alpine Thymus" with no latin equivalent, and I just wondered if this was strictly an ornamental plant or if it was edible as thyme plants usually are. There is a note of the label saying "garden plants are not edible" but I wondered if this was standard print for their labels. Id like to use it but don't want to poison anybody if its not safe. Any help would be appreciated

[Chipchopper]

The way I see it is, it has been developed as a garden ornamental plant, for its appearance only and is likely to be inferior in taste and flavour to the ones grown for culinary use.
So, personally I'd plant that one on the rockery.

[hammerman]

Normal Thyme that you use in cooking is exactly the same as the stuff you plant in your garden. Lots of different varieties of Thyme too. I bough 3 Rosemary plants from Tesco today for 50p each. They'll go in tubs and will be used for cooking.

Thyme makes a lovely rockery plant....let it flower and it will become a bee magnet.

Good luck

[meerkatmadam66]

Thank you chipchopper and hammerman, your answers were really helpful for me, Id rather not pick a best answer if its OK as both were equally "Best"

[Chipchopper]

I discovered just what you mean Meercat, I popped into my local Morrisons and found the info (or lack of it, I should say)not very helpful.
There was one plant there among the alpines, which just stated "aromatic herb" leaving the customer to guess which one it was, I'm not a 100% sure but I think it was a Teucrium.

I also saw a Thymus offered for sale there, which I managed to identify as a 'woolly thyme' (Thymus psudolanginosus) an exellent ground cover plant for the rockery etc, maybe this is the one which you bought ?