To add: the thyme and oregano are grown in the front yard. The mint and lemon balm are grown in the back. The mint and lemon balm are crowded by other plants (perhaps powdery mildew?), but one lemon balm plant started growing by itself in a patch of dry dirt- no other plants surrounding it!

After some more research, I think the white spots are due to thirps, spider mites or aphids, or powdery mildew. Just trying to figure out what the issue is so I can buy the right organic solution: insecticidal soap or neem oil. Not sure which one is “safest” to use on herbs since they are so delicate. Google searches indicate they are both safe to use up to the day of harvest and I would use them in the evening. However, I’m hoping someone can pitch in with empirical evidence that one will work without harming my plants or the soil.

I'd also have to argue about the "delicacy" of herbs. Most are very tough, hardy plants requiring not much more than sun and well drained soil and some occasional water. Of any, basil may be the most delicate but ony because it tends to be more disease and insect prone than other herbs and significantly more temperature sensitive.

hi all,

i appreciate the replies!

floral-uk - thanks for the info! I am learning a lot.

All the plants are actually planted outside in soil. I took some cuttings hoping to propagate them so I could use them to cook so that’s why some pictures show them in containers.

the basil- we ended up digging it up and throwing it out. It was covered in black stuff (likely honeydew) and ants. Plus it was straggly and riddled with holes. RIP

the “mint”/“lemon balm”: when leaves are crushed, some of the plants smell like mint, others smell like a citrus/lemon so I assumed they were lemon balm and mint. They certainly look part of the mint family and smell like it.

the “thyme”: I think you’re right and it’s simply some weed lol my mom was convinced it was thyme but after visiting my local nursery, I’m beginning to think otherwise

the “oregano”: has a VERY strong oregano scent when crushed. It also flowers like oregano (saw some in the local garden center). But oddly, my “oregano” has reddish stems and is more hairy. Doesn’t look like wooly thyme. It doesn’t look like any variety I’ve seen. The ones in my photo are actually quite fuzzy/hairy. Do you think it’s marjoram? Marjoram is supposed to taste like a milder version of oregano

since these are outside in my mom’s garden, I still think they are worth salvaging (with the exception of the faux “thyme”) since I have to determine the appropriate next steps. She has a ton of other plants in close proximity and I would like to help revitalize them, if possible. As a preventative measure, I sprayed some of them down with a mix of neem oil, Castile soap, and water. They haven’t died yet!

please let me know if you have any guidance! Thank you

Sarah, there is no oregano, lemon balm or mint in any of your pictures. There is also no doubt whatsoever that your 'Thyme' is a weed. Look at the leaves. They are in threes and they will have no scent. Can you post photos of your other plants? Without images we are just going to be guessing what you have.

Basil is an annual so everyone chucks it out at the end of the season. You need to sow it every year.

I've never heard of anyone cooking with Nepeta.

I wouldn't spray anything on them. It will do nothing for poor growing conditions. It is autumn and plants are bound to look ratty. Clean up dead stems and leaves, trim them back either now or in spring and forget about them until next year.

What zone are you in?

I have mint that's been in family for more than 40yrs, outside in snow comes back every year. I could send rooted clump and other seeds for postage. Have you turned on messaging?

FlorakUK- you’re right about the thyme. I’ve thrown it away! However, the mint and lemon balm (?) def have distinctive scents. The basil is basil; however, I should heed your advice and just buy a new plant. It is looking yellow/light green and while it smells great, I’m sure cooking with it won’t be great. The oregano def smells like oregano! I’ve never smelled catnip or nepeta before so you may be right about that too. My mom is convinced her herbs are just that, but she seemed surprised the “mint” smelled lemony (like lemon balm). Perhaps it is lemon mint?

I live in Zone 9b/10a (Silicon Valley). I’ll look at my settings. I’m currently using the app and I cannot reply to a specific person :(

Pictures below. I’ve been spraying the plants with a neem/Castile/baking powder spray so the mint is doing better. As is the basil. The Houzz app doesn’t let me attach pix inline with text, so descriptions below. I also cannot post more than 4 pix so I’ll add the other plants as additional posts.

The photos below are from the oregano plant. Almost all of them are blooming/have bloomed. Some are 1-2ft tall, plus flowers, which make the stalk about 3ft tall! Some plants are dark green and slightly hairy. Others are light green, mottled with white spots. I think those ones are diseased. The ones that have flowered are VERY dry and crunchy. The stems are a burgundy/red. Backside of leaves are also dark green.

Here is the basil:

please disregard all the other plants. My mom likes to crowd her plants and mixes some of the containers up. I’ve tried to get her to space them out (for air circulation, sunlight, and for proper watering) but she won’t listen and won’t let me touch them. Luckily, she’s let me spray them with neem which has helped tremendously with pest control.

Mint + lemon mint/lemon balm:

Some smell like mint; others like a lemon balm. The lemon-scented grow on these tall, thick stalks as well as kind of clumped together like regular mint.

I’ve been spraying the plants (excluding oregano) with the mix of neem oil, peppermint Castile soap, water, and today i added baking soda to the mix since I wasn’t sure if the white spots were a result of pests, powdery mildew, simply poor care (under watering, not enough air circulation/sunlight) or a soil deficiency. I think some of the plants (namely the mints/lemon balm and basil) are doing much better- likely due to me thinning and pruning some of the other plants, spraying the plants with neem, or removing the diseased plants.

i know the plants look in bad shape, but they were even worse before I came on the scene. I hope to save my mother’s garden by educating her on proper care for each type of plant and propagating some of them and raising them indoors instead of letting them die slowly outside. I’m also using them to cook so my mom sees the value in tending her garden properly. She was so impressed by the sage+egg scramble I made this morning that now she wants to keep the sage alive! (Not pictured because it is shockingly pest-free)

I really appreciate everyone’s advice! Please let me know if the herbs are truly not what I think they are. They smell exactly like the real deal (oregano, mint, basil, and some type of lemon balm) so I’m surprised they might be impostors. But from the research I’ve done, there are many, many varieties of plants that look and smell the same so I could be wrong. Also, I’d appreciate if anyone can tell me what the white splotches are and how to treat them. I doubt it’s a soil deficiency. I think it is a pest, but would like to know if these splotches makes them inedible. Thanks again!