Wondering if oregano is a recurrent plant life that can survive your winter ? Here ’s what to know .
Bob Stefko
You purchased a pot or two oforeganofrom the nursery this natural spring and enjoyed them all summertime . Now you ’re wondering , is oregano a perennial ? Or will winter do this herbaceous plant in , force you to buy sweet plants in bounce ? Here ’s what to know to get the most out of your oregano flora .
Credit:Bob Stefko
What Is a Perennial?
A repeated industrial plant dwell more than two years and repeats its breeding cycle over and over again : mature , bloom , grow seeds , repetition . Roses , coneflower , andbee balmare good examples of recurrent plants . They grow each year , flower , countersink seed , and iterate the process .
Oregano Is a Perennial
Oregano ( Origanum vulgare ) is a perennial plant that can be for many year , get back from its roots after winter . Many oregano diverseness arehardy in USDA Zones 5–10 , and some tolerate Zone 4 temperature . If you endure in colder geographical zone , pot marjoram might not make it through the winter for you , so in this suit , you may choose to grow it as an yearbook that just go a year .
Benefits of Growing Oregano as a Perennial
When grown as a perennial , oregano isready for harvestinglong before any newly found garden center marjoram is even stuffy . Like other perennials , it bug out up when condition are right in outpouring , eliminating the need to graft based on frost dates . Because its stem system is well established , oregano mature speedily . It can be a buy - it - once kind of plant .
When grown as a recurrent , even hard - core oregano fans probably ca n’t keep up with the amount a bombastic spell produces , so not only will you have a reliable and nearly inexhaustible supply of marjoram , but you ’ll also have plenty to partake with friends .
Oregano is a headliner later in the summer when let to bloom . Bees adore the belittled , lavender - colored blossom ; it ’s mutual to see several bee species simultaneously in an oregano patch . The marvelous flower stalks of former - summer winter sweet make splendid additions to a garden - grown cut flower bouquet and hold their shape and sound looks as long or long than most flower .
Tips for Growing Oregano as a Perennial
You ’ll take to embed marjoram in its preferred consideration for it to thrive as a perennial .
Sunlight and Soil
This herb does best infull sunandwell - debilitate soil . Oregano is aboriginal to the hot , dry Mediterranean region , so it prefer drier , less fecund soil . However , this herbaceous plant will flourish and ply more tasty , leafy green foliage when it has someorganic matter in the stain . Mixing in a small compost at planting meter and topdressing with more compost each spring usually is sufficient .
Water and Fertilizer
Oregano is a elusive herb , particularly when constitute in the solid ground . After the first few workweek , you wo n’t take to water it unless your weather condition turns extremely teetotal . Oregano in the herb garden wo n’t need fertilizing besides ablaze app of compostin early leap . If you mature oregano in container , a once or twice - per - summer feeding is sufficient .
Pruning
When growing it in a big temporary hookup in the garden , pruning marjoram is often doneen masseby applying a haircut to the intact plant . An early summer harvest cutting just before flower appear is reinforce with even more bushy increment . Eventually , you may want to allow the plant to bloom ( it wo n’t get bitter ) and feed the pollinator or provide pale purple and greenish interest in a vase .
Oregano is a member of the mint family and inclined to spread into an ellipse - shaped plot of land about 4 foot across in only a few yr . If your oregano is growing grandiloquent and leafy , and the patch is disseminate , these signs indicate you ’re fulfil the conditions to develop it as a perennial . Fortunately , spreading is not overly aggressive and can be easily control .
Overwintering Oregano
In many areas of the country , wild marjoram die back over the winter , and you may cerebrate the plant is idle . Fear not . shave off dead freeze - kill vegetation in the autumn andmulch with strawor dry leaf . Remove the mulch in early bounce to keep the ground from stay put too damp around the solution . If your oregano is uprise in a Mary Jane , crop it back by about half , andbring your herb in spite of appearance to overwinter as a houseplantif you live in cold - winter regions .
