Greek oregano is one of the most democratic herb establish in kitchens around the world . Its biting , redolent flavor seduce it a staple fibre in Mediterranean , Italian , and Greek cuisine But is this zesty herb a perennial that comes back year after yr ? Let ’s take a look at the particular
An Overview of Greek Oregano
Greek oregano ( Origanum vulgare hirtum ) is a subspecies of the oregano plant that originates from the Mediterranean region It has fuzzy fleeceable leafage and tiny white or pink flowers . The signature flavor of Greek oregano place it aside from other oreganos – it is more pungent , peppery , and savory
Some fundamental traits of Greek oregano :
This herb is used fresh or dried to season a wide variety of saucer including pizza pie , pasta , gist , salads , sauces , and more . Its antiseptic property also make it useful for natural remedy .
Is Greek Oregano a Perennial?
Yes , Greek oregano is considered a hardy perennial herbaceous plant . Perennials are plants that live for multiple years , unlike annuals that complete their lifecycle in one season .
Here are some reasons why Greek oregano can be classified as a perennial :
Once institute , Greek oregano grows into a low - spreading , woody based plant that keep to return year after class . It is one of the most resilient perennial herbs useable .
Growing Greek Oregano as a Perennial
Growing Greek marjoram as a perennial is easy . Here are some tips :
Planting : Start seeds indoors 6 - 8 hebdomad before last spring Robert Lee Frost . organ transplant seedlings outside after peril of frost has fade . Space plants 12 - 18 inches aside .
Sun : take a spot with full sunlight to maximize growth and flavor yield . need at least 6 hours of direct sun daily .
territory : Greek oregano expand in well - draining soil . Amend stiff - based soils with compost or grit to improve drainage .
Water : Water on a regular basis until install , then bring down lachrymation . Only piss when top 1 - 2 inches of soil become dry . nullify overwatering .
Fertilizer : Apply a balanced constitutional plant food at planting and once in June 21 . Avoid high N fertiliser .
Pruning : Prune lightly in spring to shape plant . Cut back blossom stems after blooming to boost leaf growth .
Winter Care : Mulch plants in previous fall for insulation . Re - mulch in spring after new maturation emerges . No need to cut back .
Getting the Most Out of Your Perennial Greek Oregano
Here are some tips for maximizing your repeated Grecian oregano harvest each year :
Pinch off flower buds to prolong leaf production . Flowers indicate the end of prime harvest time .
Cut often to encourage bushy , compact increase . Pruning help perennial plants stay healthy .
Cut sprigs when oil concentration is highest – just before flowering . This is when flavor blossom .
ironic leaves quickly after harvest home to hold back essential oils . Use a dehydrator or melody circulation .
Freeze chopped leaves in icing cube trays for convenient use in misrepresent dishes all twelvemonth .
circularize new plants from stem turn cuttings to expand your oregano garden .
Dividing mature plants in saltation help rejuvenate maturation as plant age .
Overwintering Greek Oregano Indoors
While Hellenic pot marjoram is stale hardy down to zona 5 , you’re able to also winter it indoors if you live in a colder climate . Here ’s how :
moil up a mature oregano plant before first surrender frost . Remove soil and trim root word .
Repot the works in a container with indoor potting mix . Water well .
localize in a cheery windowpane and trim the plant by 1/3 to bring down stress .
urine when the top column inch of dirt becomes dry . Mist go out on occasion .
cease fertilise in winter . Resume monthly fertilizing when outgrowth picks up in spring .
Transplant back outside after the peril of frost has passed .
With right aid , your overwintered Greek marjoram will bounce back attractively the following spring !
Troubleshooting Common Greek Oregano Problems
Here are some potential issue and solutions for perennial Hellenic oregano plant life :
Woody stems : Normal for a mature industrial plant . Prune aggressively in early springiness to rejuvenate .
thin raw maturation : lend oneself compost tea or constitutive fertilizer to nourish the plant .
Yellow leaves : Usually a foretoken of overwatering . Allow soil to dry out out between watering .
lily-white spot on leaf : make by powdery mildew fungus . Improve melodic line circulation and slay affect leaves .
Chewed leaves : escargot and slugs often feed on oregano leaves . polish off them by hand or use organic bait .
Leggy growth : postulate more Sunday . Pinch back stems to encourage bushiness .
Enjoying the Benefits of Perennial Greek Oregano
Some of the benefits that come with growing Greek marjoram as a perennial include :
make unnecessary money since you do n’t have to replace works each year
Produces a heavy harvest each season as plants mature
supply a lasting dapple of verdure and flowers in your garden
Can be divided over clip to propagate more plant
Delivers an endless supply of flavorful leaf for misrepresent
Attracts good pollinator to your railyard
So if you ’re looking for a baffling , trouble - complimentary perennial herbaceous plant that save loads of flavor , Grecian oregano is an excellent choice . Give it the growing conditions it needs , and this Mediterranean herb will continue thriving for years to come !
Growing & using Greek Oregano
Formerly name botanically as Origanum heracleoticum , Greek Oregano is one very piquant herbaceous plant . It†™ s parent Origanum vulgaris , a culinary zero , is often commercially grown and offered as Greek Oregano . O. vulgaris , often fuck as Wild Marjoram , is an highly encroaching works with a pink flower . Origanum vulgare hirtum is the real Greek oregano . When it ’s fresh , its feel is so strong that it numbs the confidential information of your tongue . Like all culinary marjoram , its heyday is white .
As soldiers came home from state of war in the forties , they add back a draw of interest in alien food . They had experienced unlike intellectual nourishment that were naughty , and , yes , even more flavorful than Mom†™ s mountain roast . Some groups of mass did turn spicy Oreganos back then , but most of us did n’t know what they were .
When we did start growing wild marjoram in our gardens , it quickly carry over and broadcast to our herbaceous plant gardens , lawn , and blossom bed . Even worse , it had no flavor except that of pasture . The ejaculate we were planting were easy to get from the state of nature of the Mediterranean , where mickle were covered in oregano . The discussion “ oregano ” comes from the Greek and means “ joy of the mountain . ” This rampantly growing plant is what we now mention to as Wild Marjoram . In spite of its pretty pink blossom that appear great when dried , there are better marjoram to grow for blossom arrangements . Like Wild Marjoram , they also have no flavor . In the end , a tasty type of this Wild Marjoram made its manner to America from Greece . We called it Greek Oregano , of course of action . earlier given the botanical name of Origanum heracleoticum , its correct botanic handle now is Origanum vulgare hirtum . Origanum vulgare is the botanic name for the Wild Marjoram with the pinkish flower and no flavor . So our tasty Greek Oregano is a uncivilized child ( loan-blend ) of the flavorless Wild Marjoram . The Holy Writ “ haired ” helps you tell it apart from Wild Marjoram when you put them next to each other .
Fortunately , there is an easier way to narrate which is which : just taste them . A clip newsman asked me about Hellenic oregano about 15 years ago , and I severalize her that the fresh leaf are so savory that they numb the baksheesh of your tongue . She liked that and used it in her magazine . That musical phrase is often used to describe this plant , so it must have hit a chord with a sight of hoi polloi . you’re able to reek the oregano leaf when you grease one’s palms it at a greenhouse . If you do n’t get a fantastic scent , put the leafage back .
The plant ’s leaves and staunch have bantam hairs that show what the weather is like where it come from . The hairs provide shade for the plant and retard down transpiration ( or water passing ) from the plant . This allows the plant to survive some pretty live , dry conditions . The more of these picayune spectre provider , the grayer the plant life . That is why many grey leaved plant are meridian on drought patient of lists .
Conversely , these plants can be unmanageable to rise in country of heat and humidity or excessive winter rain . you may help the plant deal with humidity some by plant them in stir beds or containers and exit a lot of space between them so air can flux . When it rain down a lot , ground that run out well will help . Raised beds with organic topsoil and compost are also good for this . Anywhere puddles form after a rain is believably not a bully place for Greek Oregano . It ’s best to give it at least six hours of sunlight , as with most herbs , so the flavors can to the full formulate . In hot summer region , late afternoon shadowiness can cut down on watering and stress to the plant . And mulching is always a good practice to improve the soil and help keep root zone temperatures moderate . Any tenseness a plant goes through , like being dried out and then irrigate again and again , will make bugs and diseases want to attack .
Greek Oregano , like other members of the Lamiaceae syndicate , most notably Mint , has two growth phases . The first come about as the plant awaken from its winter dormancy . The soft , tender shoot mount from the earth and achieve for the sun with all their might . They quell up for about a month and then begin to form flower heads . By the first of summer , they will be in full flower . The flowers of Greek Oregano and other culinary pot marjoram are white and reasonably unstimulating . Some type of Oreganos food , like Italian , Sicilian , and Cretan , have heyday that can be used to make trade , like herbal wreaths . The tiny , waxy leaves on the prime stem of these plants dry better than the hairy , soft leaves of Greek Oregano . They also have tight flower head that hold up better when dried . cut the plant†™ s stems often will discourage flowering and advance refreshed growth and bushiness . When harvest home or exact care of the garden , plants can be edit out back to within two inches of the ground . This can be done at least twice a class because we have a foresighted growing time of year . As a plant life blooms , it stops making new leaves , which can make the fruit and vegetables less tasty .
By the center of summertime , the plant has made all of its prime and is ready to start its 2nd development form . This is a lateral emergence that allows the flora to increase in diameter . It will also continue to raise upward . give the plant soft loose land to spread out into will encourage the runners to attempt new ground .
The discernment of Greek oregano is substantial , but it does n’t hold up well to long preparation , especially when it ’s used fresh . harvest time fresh leaves properly before you are go to expend them . launder them and chuck them ironical . If you pick them a few hr forrader of sentence , wash them , pat them juiceless , wrap them in teetotal paper towel , and put them in the electric refrigerator . They will keep a few hours this fashion . Or whole stems can be placed in a spyglass or , even good , an attractive vase of water . This is a fun way to prepare for a repast . piece several kinds of cooking herbaceous plant and make a culinary corsage . Having sprigs of Rosemary , Greek Oregano , Winter Savory , and Basil nearby will make your creative and digestive succus flow . Chopped Greek oregano mixed with garlic , saltiness , and European olive tree rock oil makes a great sauce for pork , squawk , or roasted potatoes . Add a small Rosemary to the marinade and use it on fowl .
you’re able to also utilise the fresh leafage to top your own pizza pie . This is how Greek oregano was first used on pizza , not in the sauce .
Dried Greek Oregano is a peachy fashion to get through the wintertime blues . It can be used to rub herb on centre or add together to any love apple - based sauce , sauté , stir Roger Fry , or testis mantrap near the destruction of cookery . Try a sprinkle of dry Greek Oregano on your next grilled tall mallow sandwich . you’re able to meld fresh or dry out oregano with other herb to make a tasty insolence for porc chop , tenderloin , or chicken breasts . you could also try our tasty herbal marinade .
GREEK OREGANO Growth, Growing and Care Tips! (Origanum vulgare hirtum)
FAQ
Does Greek Oregano produce back ?
Is Greek Oregano annual or perennial ?
Can Greek Oregano outlast winter ?
What is the difference between marjoram and Greek Oregano ?
Is Hellenic oregano a perennial ?
Greek oregano ( USDA planting zones 5 - 9 ) is a vigorous and hardy perennial that can flourish in ironic soil and hot temperature once set up . As if you need yet another reason to bonk this oregano , it ’s bee - friendly and makes a great addition to a pollinator garden .
Is it respectable to wipe out fresh oregano ?
It is hefty to eat fresh pot marjoram . Oregano is a source of bioactive inwardness that avail improve intestinal operation , control the intestinal microbiota , better exemption , protect the kernel and are a seed of vitamins .
Is Greek marjoram a good garden works ?
Grecian oregano is well-situated to care for . you may grow it as a container works or keep it in your garden as a groundcover . As an outdoor plant , it attracts pollinators and repels pest . These qualities make it an splendid fellow traveller plant ; it ’s especially good for cucumbers , squashes , and melons .
What is Greek oregano ?
Greek oregano is a common variety of the oregano plant — in fact , it ’s often pertain to as true oregano . Since there are Grecian , Italian , and Turkish pot marjoram from the Mediterranean region , there are refinement that you should keep in head when you use these in your recipes .
