You purchased a pot or two of oregano from the nursery this spring and enjoyed them all summer. Now you’re wondering, is oregano a perennial? Or will winter do this herb in, forcing you to buy fresh plants in spring? Here’s what to know to get the most out of your oregano plants.
What Is a Perennial?
A perennial plant lives more than two years and repeats its reproduction cycle over and over again: grow, flower, produce seeds, repeat. Roses, coneflower, and bee balm are good examples of perennial plants. They grow each year, flower, set seed, and repeat the process.
Oregano Is a Perennial
Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is a perennial plant that can live for many years, growing back from its roots after winter. Many oregano varieties are hardy in USDA Zones 5–10, and some tolerate Zone 4 temperatures. If you live in colder zones, oregano might not make it through the winter for you, so in this case, you may choose to grow it as an annual that just lasts a year.
Benefits of Growing Oregano as a Perennial
When grown as a perennial, oregano is ready for harvesting long before any newly planted garden center oregano is even close. Like other perennials, it pops up when conditions are right in spring, eliminating the need to transplant based on frost dates. Because its root system is well established, oregano grows rapidly. It can be a buy-it-once kind of plant.
When grown as a perennial, even hard-core oregano fans probably can’t keep up with the amount a large patch produces, so not only will you have a reliable and nearly inexhaustible supply of oregano, but you’ll also have plenty to share with friends.
Oregano is a star later in the summer when allowed to bloom. Bees adore the small, lavender-colored flowers; it’s common to see several bee species simultaneously in an oregano patch. The tall flower stalks of late-summer oregano make excellent additions to a garden-grown cut flower bouquet and hold their shape and good looks as long or longer than most flowers.
Tips for Growing Oregano as a Perennial
You’ll need to plant oregano in its preferred conditions for it to thrive as a perennial.
Sunlight and Soil
This herb does best in full sun and well-drained soil. Oregano is native to the hot, dry Mediterranean region, so it prefers drier, less fertile soil. However, this herb will flourish and provide more tasty, leafy green foliage when it has some organic matter in the soil. Mixing in a little compost at planting time and topdressing with more compost each spring usually is sufficient.
Water and Fertilizer
Oregano is a tough herb, especially when planted in the ground. After the first few weeks, you won’t need to water it unless your weather turns extremely dry. Oregano in the herb garden won’t need fertilizing besides a light application of compost in early spring. If you grow oregano in containers, a once or twice-per-summer feeding is sufficient.
Pruning
When growing it in a larger patch in the garden, pruning oregano is often done en masse by applying a haircut to the entire plant. An early summer harvest cutting just before flowers appear is rewarded with even more bushy growth. Eventually, you may want to allow the plant to flower (it won’t get bitter) and feed the pollinators or provide pale purple and green interest in a vase.
Oregano is a member of the mint family and inclined to spread into an oval-shaped patch about 4 feet across in only a few years. If your oregano is growing tall and leafy, and the patch is spreading, these signs indicate you’re meeting the conditions to grow it as a perennial. Fortunately, spreading is not overly aggressive and can be easily controlled.
Overwintering Oregano
In many areas of the country, oregano dies back over the winter, and you may think the plant is dead. Fear not. Trim off dead frost-killed vegetation in the fall and mulch with straw or dried leaves. Remove the mulch in early spring to prevent the ground from staying excessively damp around the roots. If your oregano is growing in a pot, trim it back by about half, and bring your herb inside to overwinter as a houseplant if you live in cold-winter regions.
