Growing oregano in a summer cottage is a worthwhile occupation

For many spice aficionados, growing oregano is a real pleasure. After all, this plant does not require special care, but it brings tangible benefits to all family members. Since time immemorial, oregano has been used not only as a refined spice, but also as a remedy. It has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, relieving headaches. Improves the digestive tract and increases appetite. Decoctions from the plant are used to treat bronchitis, stomatitis and female ailments. It cleanses the body as a whole and is considered an effective means of combating dermatitis and diathesis in young children. It is not surprising that the cultivation of oregano in their summer cottage is of particular interest for novice gardeners.

If you put a flower in a closet, the moth will forget its way there forever.

An amazing plant with a fragrant name

Oregano is a spicy herb with a specific smell. In the common people it is called the motherboard and amulet. In Western countries, it is known as oregano. The spice is actively used in cooking: it is added to pizza, meat dishes, used for canning vegetables and fruits. Beekeepers appreciate it for the original pollen, from which insects make a fragrant liquid.

Before we understand how to grow oregano in the country, let's try to get to know this amazing plant better. In nature, culture is found almost throughout Europe. The homeland of the plant is the Mediterranean countries. On the territory of Russia, the motherboard does not take root in the Far North and the Far East. Most of all, the plant loves open areas, where there is a lot of sunlight:

• spacious meadows;
• ditch slopes;
• forest edges;
• river valleys;
• shrub thickets;
• side of the steppe roads.

The perennial grows in bushes from 30 to 70 cm high. Its strong root system allows it to withstand the vagaries of nature and grow independently in the natural environment. Ladanka has miniature egg-shaped leaf plates with pointed tips. It blooms for several months, from summer to mid-autumn, in buds, collected in lush panicles. Most often they are colored purple, but they are white, pink and reddish.

At the end of the flowering period, miniature nuts are formed on the shoots, in which microscopic seeds are stored (slightly less poppy seeds). There are more than two dozen varieties of this plant, so growing oregano in the garden is a real pleasure. Consider the most popular types of this fragrant culture.

Oregano

The plant is a herbaceous perennial, growing up to a maximum of 90 cm. The leaf plates are oblong, ovoid. The edges are serrated, the tip of the leaf is pointed. The upper part is dark green. The back side has a grayish tint, which gives them a special decorative effect. Shoots are tetrahedral, slightly pubescent. At the base of the bush, they branch out in different directions. Thanks to this, the plant has a rounded shape.

A popular variety of oregano, the Pink Fairy has medicinal properties and a delicate aroma. It grows up to 65 cm. Light green foliage contains a number of beneficial substances:

• essential oils;
• trace elements (selenium, iron, molybdenum);
• tannins;
• vitamin C.

Inflorescences are presented in the form of a spreading panicle with many buds of a pinkish or purple hue. They open in July and delight the smooth until early autumn. After successful pollination, the stems produce dark brown, nut-like fruits. They contain many microscopic oregano seeds, which gardeners use to propagate a flower in their garden.

Oregano Amethyst Falls

You can decorate a summer cottage with an amazing kind of amulet. It blooms with delicate pink-purple buds from August to October. The height of the bushes is up to 20 cm, and the width is about 30. Oregano Amethyst Follos is distinguished by light green rounded foliage and delicate shoots. Each of them is crowned with cascading fragrant inflorescences. The plant fits wonderfully into the landscape design of a country house and grows in the garden without problems.

Indoor plant fans can grow round-leaved oregano in large containers or pots.

Oregano Amanskaya

Lovers of low-growing plants will like the motherboard of this variety. It will only grow up to 20 cm in height, so it is grown for decoration:

• borders;
• flower beds;
• balconies;
• terraces;
• gardens;
• vegetable gardens.

The buds of Aman's oregano are collected in spike-shaped panicles. They are gracefully hidden under green or pink bracts. From the side, the plant has an original decorative appearance.

Oregano Honey scent

The flower of this variety usually grows up to 40 cm in height, which makes it possible to use it as an ornamental plant. The main feature of oregano is honey aroma - rich smell of fresh honeywhich attracts many insects. During the flowering period, it is decorated with large purple buds. They are located along the elastic shoot in the form of a curly panicle.

Oregano Northern Lights

To grow this kind of oregano in the garden, you don't need to go to the Arctic. It is enough to find it in the store, buy it and sow it in the garden. The flower grows up to 60 cm in the form of a branched bush with many graceful shoots. Each of them is covered with small ovoid leaves with pointed tips. Oregano Northern Lights is distinguished by paniculate inflorescences with many miniature purple-pink buds. A beautiful sight indeed.

Oregano Mila

The flower is a herbaceous perennial about 50 cm high. The ovoid leaf plates are dull green in color. Microscopic hairs are visible on the surface, which shine in the sunlight. Oregano Mila has graceful inflorescences, consisting of small purple buds. They bloom from July to early fall.

Oregano leaves are widely used in cooking. They are added to meat and vegetable dishes. Dried raw materials are used to prepare aromatic drinks.

Oregano Teddy

The perennial is distinguished by decorative leaf plates, which are decorated with a cream-colored border. When the plant blooms, pink buds appear on it. They are collected in loose clusters with bright pink bracts. They are located on erect flower shoots. Oregano Teddy exudes a pleasant rich aroma that attracts many insects, including bees. Prefers drained soils and feels great in open areas where there is an abundance of sunlight.

Growing oregano from seeds

Despite the fact that oregano is a rather unpretentious plant and perfectly tolerates the Russian climate, there are several requirements for its cultivation. First of all, it is important to choose a suitable place with a lot of sunshine. The plant does not tolerate even a slight shade. The second factor is soil. Oregano develops successfully on any soil, the main thing is that there is no stagnation of water. The third rule is timely feeding in the autumn and spring. To do this, humus, manure and superphosphate, after thoroughly loosening the topsoil.

There are several ways to plant oregano in your summer cottage. Traditionally, the plant is propagated by dividing the rhizomes, layering, cuttings and using seeds. Each of the options has its own characteristics, but we will take a closer look at how to grow oregano from seeds.

The first thing to do is to prepare the site in the fall. To do this, it is cleaned of dry grass, leaves and branches. Then they carefully dig up so that the earth receives enough moisture in winter and oxygen. At the beginning of spring, a top dressing of humus, superphosphate and mineral fertilizers is prepared, which is applied to the soil. After that, it is dug up again, leveled so that there are no lumps, since the planting material is microscopic in size.

Sowing oregano seeds

Growing oregano from seeds consists in the following actions:

• holes are made at a distance of 25 cm from each other on the site;
• the bottom of the wells is slightly moistened;
• planting material is carefully sown;
• cover it with earth by 1 cm;
• the bed is compacted;
• cover with mulch.

After 2 or 3 weeks the first shoots will appear, which it is advisable to regularly weed from weeds. Planting oregano and care includes thinning young shoots with an interval of 15-20 cm between plants. Torn specimens are used for plant propagation in free areas of the site.

Another way to reproduce oregano is to grow seedlings. For this, seeds are sown in pots or containers with purchased universal soil. When this is not possible, you can add a little sand to the usual garden soil to make it lighter.

Sow the motherboard in March, it will bloom in the first year after planting. If you do this in May, flowers will appear only in the second year.

Further, small holes are made in the soil. They put seeds in them and cover them with soil by no more than 1 cm. The upper sphere of the earth is moistened and covered with cling film or a bag. This method contributes to the rapid growth of planting material. Periodically, the crops are ventilated and watered using a spray bottle. After a few weeks, the first shoots will appear, which are thinned out over time so that they grow stronger.

Planting oregano in open ground and caring for the plant involves following simple rules. Sprouts are planted in the ground when it warms up enough. Better to do this in May. Bushes are placed at a distance of 50 cm from each other so that they develop successfully. And timely watering, fertilizing and loosening the soil remain unchanged procedures for aromatic spices in the garden.

Growing oregano seedlings - video