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Greek Oregano

Origanum vulgare (or-RI-ga-num vul-GAIR-ee HER-tum)

Family: Lamiaceae Unknown Groundcover

Greek Oregano is a culinary herb with a compact habit and edible leaves in the mint family. Plant it in full sun in well-drained soil. It works well in border fronts or massed along slopes. It is resistant to erosion and damage by deer. More information on Origanum vulgare .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 33 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 5 - Groundcover
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Herb; Herbaceous Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Cascading; Horizontal; Prostrate; Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf value
Fragrant
Hairs present
No
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Spike
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Tiny white flowers in axillary spiklets appear late summer.
Stem color
Green
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Greece, Turkey
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves

Edibility

Leaves are edible with a hot spicy taste and are used fresh or dried in soups, sauces, salads, stews, and dressings. This is the oregano that is commonly purchased in stores in dried form.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Slope/Bank
Landscape theme
Edible Garden
Garden tags
#erosion control #fragrant leaves #naturalizes #deer resistant #border front #problem for dogs #problem for horses #problem for cats #wilson mg plant sale 2021 #buncombe county sun and shade garden #herb garden #compact #pollinator garden #pollinator plant #culinary #th-taste #th-sowing #th-sight #th-wildlife
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Resistant to
Deer; Diseases; Drought; Dry Soil; Erosion; Heat; Insect Pests; Poor Soil; Rabbits

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.