A Garden of Thyme: The Scent and Soul of Vineyard Cottages
If you’ve ever wandered through the gardens at Vineyard Cottages in Waimauku, you’ve likely caught the earthy, floral scent of thyme drifting through the air. It weaves between the raised beds and borders, spills over the edges of stone paths, and flourishes near our hot tub cottages where guests unwind with a glass of wine in hand. Thyme is more than just a herb here—it’s part of the story we tell through flavour, fragrance, and a deep connection to the land.
In every season, thyme has a place in our kitchen. It’s sprinkled over roasted garden vegetables in winter, added to marinades in summer, and infused into oils, butters, and even desserts. And beyond its culinary magic, thyme is a natural companion to our style of slow, seasonal living.
Thyme is perfectly suited to our garden’s microclimate, loving the full sun, dry feet, and free-draining soils that this corner of West Auckland provides. It’s a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial that asks for very little but gives back endlessly—ideal for our sustainable garden philosophy.
We grow several types of thyme throughout the property, both for culinary use and ornamental value. You’ll find it in our herb garden near the main kitchen, tucked into cracks in the stone paths, and planted as low hedging along the edges of our edible flower beds. Guests often brush past it on their way to breakfast or while picking herbs for a picnic, releasing its heady aroma with every step.
Our thyme is grown organically, without sprays or synthetic fertilisers. We propagate it from cuttings and plant it in sunny spots with good airflow and lean soil. The trick is not to pamper thyme—too much water or rich soil, and it loses its intensity of flavour. Instead, we let it tough it out, which makes the oils stronger and the taste more robust.
It’s a low-maintenance plant that thrives with a simple haircut now and then. After flowering in late spring or early summer, we give our thyme a light prune to keep it compact and productive. This also prevents it from becoming woody and encourages new growth, ready for our chefs to harvest fresh sprigs straight from the garden.
Thyme is one of our kitchen staples. Its slightly minty, lemony flavour with a hint of clove pairs beautifully with everything from lamb and roast chicken to mushrooms and cheese. It’s a key note in our roasted root vegetables, house marinades, and slow-cooked stews served during the cooler months.
Fresh thyme is also delicious in compound butters and infused oils, which we use to dress warm new potatoes, chargrilled zucchini, or to drizzle over fresh bread. Our guests love the thyme-infused honey we serve with soft cheese and fruit—especially with a local Viognier in the summer sun.
One of our favourite ways to use thyme is in desserts. A touch of lemon thyme in shortbread, or infused in a light syrup over poached stone fruit, creates a surprising floral note that guests often comment on.
We also dry thyme for winter use, hanging bunches in our rustic potting shed and stripping the leaves into jars for seasoning blends and herbal teas. The fragrance lingers long after the harvest and brings a memory of summer to our winter dishes.
At Vineyard Cottages, we grow several varieties of thyme to suit different culinary and sensory purposes. Each has its own character, and each plays a role in the garden’s beauty and the kitchen’s creativity.
This is the classic variety found in most kitchens. It has small grey-green leaves and a bold, savoury flavour. We use it the most in cooking, and it’s the backbone of many of our sauces and roasts.
A guest favourite! With its citrus-scented leaves, lemon thyme is bright and fragrant, and we love using it in chicken dishes, vinaigrettes, and desserts. It’s also a beautiful edging plant with its slightly golden leaves.
This is more ornamental but no less loved. It carpets the garden paths and releases a burst of scent underfoot. While not as strongly flavoured, it can still be used as a garnish or in teas. It’s also great for encouraging bees and butterflies into the garden.
With variegated silvery foliage, this type is both decorative and delicious. We love adding a sprig to platters and cheese boards—beautiful and fragrant with a softer taste than common thyme.
Thyme’s beauty lies in its balance—it’s tough yet delicate, intensely flavoured yet calming, and always ready to lend a little something extra to a dish, a garden corner, or a moment of reflection.
Guests often comment on the smell of thyme as they walk through the property. It’s one of those sensory memories that lingers—like wood smoke on the wind, a warm sourdough loaf fresh from the oven, or the scent of sun-warmed lavender. We like to think it’s part of the Vineyard Cottages experience: slowing down, breathing in, and tasting the season through every detail.
So next time you’re with us, run your fingers along a thyme sprig, close your eyes, and inhale. You’ll understand why we planted so much of it.
