Origanum make fine culinary seasonings, good landscape plants, and charming potted herbs, too. Here’s a guide to making the best selection for your space.

Origanum vulgare ‘Viride’

Grows about a foot high with short, auxiliary branches. Has small, opposing leaves with hairy undersides and pink flowers that attract butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. Entire plant retains its fragrance and flavor when dried.

Pinch back for bushier plants. Hardy from zones 5–9.

Origanum majorana or sweet or knotted marjoram

A tender perennial usually cultivated as an annual; dies at the first frost. Grows into a charming little bush about eight inches in height with small leaves, red-dish quadrangular stems, and white flow-ers. Does not spread, and is therefore a favorite for English knot gardens.

Likes good potting soil with a neutral pH, warmth, humidity, and good drainage. Sow seedlings in March in a warm, pro-tected spot. Transplant in May, allowing 6 inches between plants. Hardy from zones 7–8.

Origanum onites or pot marjoram

Pot marjoram blooms late in the season with white-to-mauve or pink flowers, small leaves, and reddish stems. Has very faint fragrance and flavor com-pared to Origanum vulgare, but both normal and the variegated types merit attention as attractive landscaping plants. Makes excellent bouquets, both fresh and dried.

Allow 2 feet between plants as it grows in a sprawling habit and can have stems up to 2-feet tall. In colder climates, cover plant with mulch or leaves for winter pro-tection, or grow in pots and bring inside. Hardy from zones 8–10.

Origanum libanoticum or hopflower oregano

A cascading perennial, native to Lebanon; wonderful for draping over walls and rock gardens and incorporating into dried-flower arrangements. Plant exudes a sweet aroma and blooms with small, light-pink flowers.

Likes full sun, well-drained soil, and moderate amounts of moisture. Hardy from zone 8–10.

Origanum dictamnus or Dittany of Crete

An evergreen, creeping oregano with fuzzy, grey-green, sometimes pur-plish foliage. Dense groups of pink flowers bloom in summer with purple bracts.

Especially suitable for use in hanging bas-kets. Brightens any spot in home or gar-den needing cheerful color. Hardy from zone 8–10.

Various oregano groundcovers

The creeping oregano (Origanum vulgare humile, formerly Origanum compactum nanum) is a brilliant green; Origanum vulgare aureum, or creeping golden mar-joram, has golden tones in spring and turns dark-green in the summer. Origanum marjorana ‘Betty Rollins,’ or mounding marjoram, is dark green with a hint of red and has small pink flower stalks.

Not for culinary use, but great landscap-ing plants that can substitute for grass lawns. Hardy to zone 7. To purchase, see www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/ oreganolawn.htm