'Kent Beauty' Oregano
"Herbs spring forth,
Whose fragrance, by soft dews & rain unbound,
Shall penetrate the heart without a wound."
-William Wordsworth
(1770-1850)
(1770-1850)
Many different kinds of oregenos form beautiful sub-shrubs or groundcovers, but none ever struck me as awesome until I encountered Origanum rotundifolium 'Kent Beauty' which just floored me. Later I discovered it likewise impressed the Royal Botanical Society, who gave it the Award of Garden Merit.
It is a semi-trailing semi-mounding groundcover with endearing grey-green silver-veined oval to nearly heartshaped leaves. The flowers are quite something in summer & autumn, appearing in great numbers. They are at first mauve but age to a bright pink & purple.
These blooms consist of pink-petalled flowers inside dusty-purple bracts that make the flowers look larger than they really are, & possess a surprising irridescence that seems as though it ought to glow purple in the dark.
When the bracts have turned completely pink they have by then dried into color-fast paperiness right on the plant, though they don't really look like they've dried. These will last a great length of time. The dried bracts are additionally useful in floral arrangements for lasting beauty.It is a tender perennial that might behave as an annual if winter is particularly cold, therefore, depending on zone, may call for the sunniest wind-protected area if it is to come back each year. For mild winters like ours, it doesn't actually die back until winter's end or when new growth begins. Whatever of the plant that makes it to the start of spring should be pruned away before new growth begins, & it should also be fertilized at that time.
We planted it in two places. The older clump gets afternoon sun & perhaps a bit too much shade for its perfect liking, as it is slow to recover after winter damage. Nevertheless, by July, as shown in the second photo, it looks extremely pretty. It is not a plant that needs much water, & in this location it does get a bit damp, but drainage is perfect, so it flourishes.
The newer clump is shown in a June photo at top. It gets strong sunlight in well-drained soil morning to noon, & is not completely shaded even in the afternoon. It continues to thicken up through the summer, & its presence can be expected until deep into autumn, until winter weather begins to wreck it. There are some Autumn Crocuses in the same spot that are leafless & floppy when they bloom in fall, but the groundcover oregano should last long enough to brace the crocuses.
It is not impossible that it can mound to over a foot tall & need a bit of sheering. But generally it will creep around the ground staying around six or eight inches tall, with a two-foot trailing spread quite likely. It could also be planted where it'll cascade from rock ledges or over the sides of baskets.
It's drought tolerant for windowboxes or baskets, or can make do in poor soil areas of a garden. Being a bit tender, a windowbox that gets residual heat through the window just might be good for it. But it will not bloom so well unless it gets moderate waterings in rich well-drained soil. The clump can be divided every two or three years to keep it fresh, early spring being the best time.
Often said to be ornamental rather than culinary, if a little bitterness is liked, it is perfectly acceptable for cooking. Its also sweet enough smelling to dry for poupouri.