Greek Oregano

Greek Oregano a superior Culinary selection that is very strong flavored for cooking and seasoning your favorite dishes.  Greek Oregano is also used as a medicinal herb, and has been for centuries. The leaves and flowering stems have a strong antiseptic effect and a tincture of tea is used to treat colds, influenza, mild feverish illnesses, indigestion, stomach upsets and painful menstruation. It is also a sedative and should not be taken in large doses although mild teas have a restful soothing effect and can help with sleep. A liniment using the herb is used to treat bronchitis, asthma, arthritis and muscular pain. Oregano is also very antimicrobial and can be used as an oil externally for minor cuts, bites and infections and internally short term for healing the gut from parasites and yeast overgrowth. The essential oil can also be used to relieve toothache. It is a strong and hardy perennial with sweet white flowers will naturalize over time.

Greek Oregano needs lots of sunlight to flourish well, however it can tolerate some shade in the morning or afternoon but may be a little straggly. It is very happy in full sunlight and can tolerate fairly hot dry areas reasonably well. However its not a really tough plant so its not for those really hot dry areas where nothing else grows. It prefers a light soil with good drainage, with sandy soil being ideal. It cannot easily tolerate heavy clay soils and does not like a great deal of humidity so it may be harder to grow in areas where summers are very humid of there is a lot of rain. For ideal growth it prefers moderate fertile soil so adding some compost or good organic material is advised but only sparingly as too much fertilizer can weaken the plant and reduce the aroma and flavor. It can tolerate a wide pH range from 6.0 down to 9.0. but prefers to stay above 8.0. Once established it needs very little water and is very drought tolerant.

The flavor of the plants tends to reduce with age so it is recommended that they be replaced every 4-5 years. Ideally replacing a few plants every year will ensure that there is always a supply of new fresh plants available. If intending to harvest pinch off the flower heads as they appear to ensure a long lasting supply of new fresh leaves.

Although not truly salt tolerant oregano will thrive in areas near the shore so it is an excellent plant for shore side gardens. In fact many state that the flavor of plants grown near the sea have a much stronger flavor than those grown inland. Perennial hardy to zones 4-9.