Is ornamental oregano an annual or perennial?
Perfect for rock gardens and regions with well-drained soil and winters on the dry side, ornamental oregano is an attractive flowering perennial that's easy to grow.
If your winter temperatures are too low, overwinter the plant in a pot placed in a sunny window in a cool room. to create a windowsill cooler than the room, hang a plastic sheet over the inside of the window thereby isolating the windowsill from the room.
Belonging to the mint family, or Lamiaceae, oregano is a woody perennial plant. It's a robust herb with a peppery bite and a minty aroma. In the Greek language, the word oregano means “joy of the mountain” and it's certainly a popular herb for any Mediterranean cuisine.
| Common Name | Oregano |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | Perennial, herb |
| Size | 1–2 ft. tall, 1.5 ft. wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
| Soil Type | Well-drained |
A dying oregano is often because of damp soil due to over watering or slow draining soil which causes root rot. Oregano requires well draining soil and infrequent watering to thrive. Fungal pathogens thrive in damp soil which turn oregano leaves brown, black or yellow and result in a dying oregano.
Remove spent flowers as blooms fade to encourage continuous flowering. Trim any dead, damaged or unsightly growth as needed to maintain an attractive appearance. In late fall, winter or early spring, cut each plant back to 6 inches or less. New growth will emerge as spring temperatures rise.
Cold-hardy herbs, such as chives, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme, can often survive cold-winter temperatures while continuing to produce flavorful foliage, as long as they are provided with some protection or grown indoors.
Ornamental Oregano grows to be about 6 inches (15cm) tall because of its trailing habit. Most varieties are hardy to USDA zones 4 or 5, except for Dittany of Crete which can grow only in zone 7.
Valued for its long-lasting clusters of pretty flowers and attractive foliage, award-winning Origanum 'Kent Beauty' (Ornamental Oregano) is a semi-evergreen, bushy subshrub with trailing stems densely covered with small, rounded, silver-veined, blue-green, aromatic leaves.
Origanum 'Kirigami' (Ornamental Oregano) is a low-growing, herbaceous perennial with small, rounded, light green, aromatic leaves adorned with purple-green highlights. Blooming all summer long, it produces whorls of pendulous, dusty pink, hop-like bracts with tiny, rose-pink flowers peeking out of them.
What do you do with oregano after flowering?
Oregano begins blooming in late spring or early summer depending on the variety. The spent flowers can be removed to keep the plants looking tidy and once the plants have finished flowering you can cut the plant down to ground level. Oregano is a perennial herb so it will grow back the following year.
Old woody branches that become leggy (more stem than leaf) should be cut out at the end of winter, and plants should be replaced every five years to prevent legginess. The lifespan of oregano is about five or six years, and usually, one harvest is done in the first year and two in the following years.
Trimming the plant too early could cause your plant to fail to thrive, so be patient. Luckily, oregano usually grows quickly. Pruning your oregano will encourage new growth. Not only will it grow more leaves, it'll even grow more stems!
Oregano grows fast & benefits from a mid-season pruning right after flowering. That'll stimulate even more of that tasty new growth. This is how the oregano looked before pruning – dense as can be with straggly stems way underneath.
A majority of herbs are perennials throughout most of the United States. That means they come back year after year and usually get bigger or spread in territory each year. Some of our most-used cooking herbs are perennials, including sage, oregano and thyme.
Although oregano thrives in a warm climate, it's a hardy perennial that returns year after year — and without much work! Oregano has the ability to even withstand snowstorms and still continue to produce healthy, vibrantly colored leaves.
Their flowers can be cut for arrangements or dried and used in potpourri. Like other plants in the mint family, oregano is a favorite of bees. Origanum 'Kent Beauty' has pendulous flowers with rosy bracts resembling hops. It performs great in containers, draped over walls or grown in rockeries.
Established Oregano
Weed-control chemicals that kill broad-leaved plants but are harmless to grass include 2,4-D, mecoprop and dicamba, and a ready-to-use herbicide spray containing 7.59 percent 2,4-D, 1.83 percent mecoprop and 0.84 percent dicamba controls oregano effectively in a lawn.
Some cold hardy herbs (mint, thyme, oregano, sage, and chives) are very well adapted. In areas with frost, they grow as perennials, going dormant in the winter and coming back with new growth in the spring.
Tender outdoor herbs
Herbs like bay, sage and thyme are hardy enough to survive the winter outside, but will not grow. If you want to harvest from them, protect them against the coldest weather. You can move plants into a coldframe, or an unheated greenhouse or conservatory. Make sure to ventilate them on milder days.
How cold is too cold for potted herbs?
Keep herbs in rooms that have at least a 65 to 70°F day and 55 to 60°F night temperature regimes. Although most herbs can survive temperatures that are in the mid to low 40s, others cannot; for example, basil (Ocimum basilicum) cannot survive temperatures lower than 50°F.
Mint is a perennial herb, which basically means you can grow it any time of year and it will keep coming back. Basil, however, is an annual herb and prefers warmer temps (plant it around May or June) and won't last much more than a couple of months.
Choose a site with full sun for best flower and bract formation, although the plants will do fairly well in partial sun. Soil should be well worked and have good drainage.
Although this spice is not very toxic, it may still cause intense digestive disturbances in your pet, including vomiting and diarrhea. It has also been known to cause more serious side effects in some rare cases, such as decreased heart rate, low blood pressure, and ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract.
Ornamental oregano flower bracts dry easily and will last for several years. To harvest, Saso says to simply cut them in bunches and loosely tie them, hanging them upside down in a cool, dry place out of the sun. Or, if the stems are stiff enough, you can stand them up in a vase to dry.
How to Propagate New Plants From Stem Cuttings of Oregano - YouTube
It is high in both phenols and terpenoids, which cats can not properly digest due to a lack of glucuronyl transferase digestive enzymes in the liver. This can result in a toxic reaction and permanent liver damage to the cat. Oregano is a widely used culinary herb that can grow successfully in many climates.
How to Propagate New Plants From Stem Cuttings of Oregano - YouTube
Grows up to 8-10 in. tall (20-25 cm) and 12-14 in. wide (30-35 cm). Thrives in full sun in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils.
Choose a site with full sun for best flower and bract formation, although the plants will do fairly well in partial sun. Soil should be well worked and have good drainage.
How do you care for ornamental oregano Kent?
Origanum Plant Care
This low-maintenance plant prefers average, dryish soil with good winter drainage. Can be divided every 3 - 4 years in the spring. Trim off old stems in spring when new growth appears. Benefits from gravel mulch.
