Software
Houzz Logo Print
angel312_gw

oregano

18 years ago

I am a bit of a gardener in the learning stage. I have loved to garden most of my life, but it was kind of like, find a pretty plant, throw it in the ground and see if it comes up. Well, lucky for me most of the times I have been very lucky...unfortunately, i don't know a thing about the plants!!!

So, I have decided since I am stuck here at home with a back inury it is a great time to educate myself! Wish me luck....

I was wondering if anyone could tell me a bit about an herb garden. For Mother's Day my daughter got me some beautiful and aromatic herbs to plant, but I don't want to take any chances..they are so very special to me! So, she got me, Oregano, French Lavender, Lavender Hidcote, Pineapple Sage, and Lemon Thyme. Any hints about whether I should just pot them or would I get good results if I put them in the ground? Are they perrenials in zone 5? I know I ask a lot, but I will continue to search for answers so whatever info you give me would be greatly appreciated. My problem presently is I get too much info...many conflicting. That is why I came here,. I figured go where the gardeners go?

Thanks for your patience

Angel

Comments (3)

  • 18 years ago

    Suggest that you either do indiviual search on the internet or get a good book that describes growing requirements for each. "herbs' are many, as are their specific growing requirements. Lavender, can grow quite large and isn't really used much in any cooking, as far as I know. The others all need plenty of sun, and should probably be planted in the soil, as opposed to a pot. I do know that when I started regular thyme from seeds in small pots indoors, then transplanted outside. It survives our winters and has come up very bushy this year. Its planted in a small strip of soil between my greenhouse and cement walk, next to my garden. I also have a 10'x6' sheet of heavy duty weed barrier fabric, that I cut 3 inch round holes into. These holes have the transplants from other seeds I grow. Oregano should come back next year, but I can't be sure yet (no fear, I have more seeds). Sage, on the other hand will die in the cold and not return. If you want to keep the sage going, plant it in a good sized pot, and set the whole pot outside in the sun during the summer. Be sure it has drainage and never gets too dry in the soil. Good luck! When starting seeds, I like to use 2"x2"x4" deep square plastic pots, and these are a nice size for transplating. I use a good qaulity seed starting soil that offers nutrients as well as good moisture retention along with good drainage, which is very important. Been growing from seeds for almost 40 years now. Never lost much or anything I start from seeds, unless they get planted outside too early. For Z6 its usually best to plant after May 30, to avoid a frost. But each plnat must also have its share of direct sunlight, as they need to to be 'hardend off' a week or so in a semi shady spot.

  • 18 years ago

    Welcome Angel!
    Herbs are very rewarding to work with as they smell wonderful and tend to be very forgiving.

    The French Lavender and Pineapple Sage will not be hardy in your zone. You'll want to pot them nicely but I'd recommend growing them outside and bringing them in for the winter. The Pineapple Sage likes a lot of water, the French Lavender will only need watering when dry and don't put a saucer under it as it hates "wet feet."

    I'd plant the other herbs outside it an area that gets at least 6 hours of sun. The soil will need good drainage and does not need to be "rich" soil.

    The Lemon Thyme and Hidcote Lavender are both very hardy and also both want good drainage and full sun. If you put them in an area that collects water they'll turn to mush and die.

    The Oregano is also hardy, likes full sun, and likes water. It has a spreading habit but its not too difficult to keep contained to the area where you want it to live. If you let it flower and seed it will also spread by seeds.

  • 18 years ago

    One of the best ways of learning about the requirements of any plant is the find out where it came from originally. ie its natural habitat. Once you know that, you'll know that the best way of keeping it alive and well is to simulate the conditions it likes best - climate, soil etc. It's a sort of geography-cum-botany lesson rolled into one!

    In the case of all the herbs you mention, they are some of the so-called 'Mediterranean' herbs - which means that they like plenty of heat, poor soil, long dry summers and rain in winter.

    The next thing you need to learn is how big the plants will be when mature - assuming ideal conditions. That tells you where to put it - garden or pot, and what size pot. Combine that with the information you already have, and you'll know whether to put it in sun or shade, and whether it will spread and a whole lot more.

    When choosing a pot size, imagine planting the plant upside down! If the top bit fits nicely in the pot, then the pot is big enough to accommodate the root system. Of course, this is only a rough rule-of-thumb - any potted plant will be stunted to some extent, which can be a good thing if your climate dictates that plants need to be brought inside during winter.

    All the plants you mention are perennials, and if you live in a cold climate, all will need to be brought inside in winter. The French lavender is the largest of them all, and the oregano can be a spreader - in ideal conditions. In pots, they'll need more water than if kept in the garden (pots are high maintenance), but you can monitor how much water they need by using the Finger Test - simply poke your finger into the soil as far down as it will go. If the tip of your finger feels cool and damp, you don't need to water. It is absolutely crucial to the survival of these plants that the soil never becomes water-logged, and that the roots never sit in water - so if you use saucers under the pots to collect excess water, make sure you keep them emptied - these plants absolutely will not tolerate wet feet! You must keep the soil fairly moist at all times - if you allow potting mix to dry out completely, it becomes water repellent and does the plant no good at all.

    I suggest you read through past posts here - you'll pick up a lot of information that way.