Oregano
Oregano is a hardy perennial. It dies down in the winter, so if you want to use it during the winter, you will have to dry or freeze it. It grows to about 2 feet high and can be quite untidy in its habit. It needs a sunny spot, but is not so dependant as Sweet Marjoram. It doesn't have the same intensity of flavor, but will grow in colder and wetter climates. It needs a sunny and well drained position if possible. You can propogate it by taking cuttings or division in summer. You need to keep it trimmed back to maintain a neat shape. This will normally happen naturally when you clip pieces to use. Medicinally, it has antiseptic properties, as well as being taken for nervous anxiety, insomnia, tension headaches, colds, digestion and bronchitis. The oil can be applied externally to treat muscular aches, pains and stiff joints. It's used widely in mediterranean cookery - exceptionally good in tomato sauces (pizzas etc) vegetable dishes and used to flavor oil and vinegar. You can also dry the flowering stems and use them in pot-pourri - the more highly scented sweet marjoram is a better choice for this.
Rescue Remedy for Oregano Keep the area weed free and well watered.
For an explanation of gardening terms that you might not understand, please check out the Growers Dictionary section. I found that I was either skimping on explanations or giving too much information on the individual pages so I have posted all relevant terms in one section - if there's anything you need to know, please drop me an email.
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