Stinky Herb

[greenthumbomaha]

Does this look familiar to anyone? I can't recall what I planted. The dead plant on the right is sage. This short for now plant has the fine stem to the left, about two feet tall.

It does not smell good to me, rather stinky when I rub the leaves. I thought it might be a non-greek style oregano. The nice culinary greek oregano doesn't seem to be hardy here.

It is spreading and I hope to take it out and plant something else in that former herb bed.

[AlittleSalt]

It looks familiar, but I don't remember what it is. I have grown some sage that smelled stinky to me. (Even though I really like sage.)

[MissS]

It does look like oregano to me, but I am not sure.

[GrowingCoastal]

I think oregano, too.

[Marcus1]

Marjoram, I think but not sure I spelled it right

[FarmerShawn]

That’s what my oregano looks like this time of year.


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[brownrexx]

Looks like oregano to me too.

[greenthumbomaha]

Thanks to everyone for confirming what I thought it might be. I did plant oregano in that area, either last year or the year prior. I abandoned picking it as the very small patch of greek hot n spicy oregano out front was so much more flavorful. Ugh! What to do now besides dig, dig, dig?

- Lisa

Marcus1, I've grown marjoram, but it a pot, thankfully. Never used it though I should have, just for display.

[clkeiper]

sorry, it doesn't look like oregano to me. oregano has a much rounder leaf. and it is slightly fuzzy. it does look more like marjoram but it isn't a perennial. marjoram smells like a room freshener to me. BUT the little part of plant on the left side laying over the wood divider does look like oregano.

[Ann123]

Originally Posted by clkeiper

sorry, it doesn't look like oregano to me. oregano has a much rounder leaf. and it is slightly fuzzy. it does look more like marjoram but it isn't a perennial. marjoram smells like a room freshener to me. BUT the little part of plant on the left side laying over the wood divider does look like oregano.

Exactly my thoughts. The leaves on the left look like oregano to me.

[SueCT]

There are different varieties of oregano with different leaves, like tomatoes. I think this is oregano. Looks similar to this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Italian-O...plants&veh=sem

[SueCT]

Well it is really easy to determine. pick a leaf and taste it. Or bring one to garden center and let them smell it. I can tell oregano by the smell. They should be able to also, if you don't know what it smells like.

[bower]

If you planted oregano (and not marjoram) then I think you can rest assured. IDK about your climate but marjoram was not a keeper here it struggled and then disappeared. Oregano on the other hand... quickly spreading.
You're right that the flavor of the leaves is not terribly useful.
My favorite things about the oregano:
(1) Bees and butterflies simply adore it.
(2) The buds before they open are a dark purple and the most useful part of the plant for me. Buds make a gorgeous herb vinegar with good flavor (and healthful, those are purple anthocyanins).
I have also tried drying the buds to use as a spice but found the texture too coarse for cooking. Maybe good though if you grind them very fine.
(3) Oregano will seed itself and thrive in any sunny place regardless of the soil. After a few years when you dig the plants there is a beautiful dark soil below them. In other words, it is a lazy way to build soil in a really poor place, just by letting it serve the bees and produce biomass to fall as organic matter on the spot.
(4) Also makes a lovely fragrant biomass for layering into your compost pile to cover your kitchen scraps etc. Makes composting a pleasant chore.

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by SueCT

Well it is really easy to determine. pick a leaf and taste it. Or bring one to garden center and let them smell it. I can tell oregano by the smell. They should be able to also, if you don't know what it smells like.

Sue, this is confusing as it looks like oregano but tastes weird. Now I remember planting oregano in that spot. The taste was soapy to me, not something to shake on a slice of pizza.

When purchasing an oregano plant , this is a good technique. I bought oregano thinking it could be used for tomato sauce, but this was a very weak variety.

Greek oregano is what I grow or buy now. It smells like Ray's Pizza in New York.

I also have a perennial varigated oregano that I use as a border plant. Not a tasty leaf either.

- Lisa

[bower]

I've grown peppers near oregano (but not in the same bed) and I thought it was a happy combo. The oregano is just the right height to create a little windbreak for the peppers, and it hosts beneficials too.
But oregano is not what I'd call a light feeding companion... it doesn't spread by runners but the roots will fan out and dig deep, and will end up exploiting the ferts you put for peppers. What I did was to dig out a part of the oregano roots, leaving a trench which I then filled with bigger rocks, and made my bed and pepper row on the other side of the rocks. That worked fine for me, and maybe 3? I think, years later, the oregano is still nicely contained as a hedge and is not invading the vegetable beds. So if I were you I 'd use something to wall it off from your veggies below ground.