Oregano can be eaten at any stage including flowering. In Italy you will see bunches of the dried flowers being sold specifically. Oregano is a perennial sub-shrub so it will flower every year. It is not the beginning of the end as it is with the annual Basil. If you don't want to see or eat the flowers shear the plants over before they flower and they'll stay compact for you.

Thanks, floral_uk. That makes perfect sense: the taste during flowering would be quite different since basil is an annual and its flowering would be the beginning of the end, whereas that's not the case with oregano. I hadn't thought that through before; thank you.

I did something unusual today and made oregano pesto. I did cut the flowers off the plants and of course used only the leaves. It's definitely strong-flavored, but if you like oregano as I do the taste is delicious.

I'm curious about something: I'm always mindful of the overall health of the plant and its ability to come back next year. (This last winter I lost my favorite oregano plant to our freezing Boston winter.) Do you think cutting the flowers off in mid-summer like this weakens the overall root system? When a perennial flowers and produces seeds I've always wondered if that strengthens the overall root system (more energy can be sent to the roots rather than producing seeds) or retards its growth and possibly weakens it (maybe the act of producing seeds actually strengthens and builds the roots, so preventing that from happening would weaken them).

It would be interesting to somehow measure the strength of the root systems of two plants: one where its flowers were cut in mid-season and it wasn't allowed to flower and seed, the other where it did flower and seed.

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

I can't really help you on that question as I have a different climate from you. However, it is a hardy perennial and in nature it flowers and then undergoes winter, so I don't suppose it really makes any difference. I find Oregano self seeds a lot and I've seen other people on here say the same.

I'm in the Northeastern US, rick. I'm in Western NY State - Rochester/Finger Lakes area so my conditions are harsher than Boston but similar enough to offer advice. I can cut it, brutally even, and the plant will recover. Even during its blooming period. I find extended dry conditions to be the harshest on oregano and its long-term vigor.

FataMorgana

Personally, I don't let my oreg plants flower, but it's mostly because they get ratty looking after--thyme too. The fresh flowers are good, but I don't care for dead flowers.

as far as losing hardy plants to winter--with oreg, sage, lav it's more a situation of water drainage in winter than the actual temp. I would believe in Boston where you had so much extra snow that drainage was inadequate, therefore stressing the plant and leaving it open to temps. Here in Denver, even at the Botanic Gardens we lose sage and lav due to fluctuating temps and non-draining frozen soil.