Origanum Species, Knotted Marjoram, Sweet Marjoram

This is the first year I've grown marjoram and I'm so glad to have done so. I've not cooked with the plant yet but have taken one of the ...Read Moreflower heads to sniff and it would be easy to see how this little herb could become my favorite, easily. The smell is incredible, almost like a perfume.
The plant itself though seems smallish and I hope that it grows taller and bushier so that I can collect leaves, seeds and to dry them for use later. I had set the seed cups outside too early and it took a long time for the little seedling to mature enough to plant into the ground. Both my Marjoram plants are only less then a foot tall and with few sprigs each, but the plants seem to be gaining strength by the deepening of the color of their leaves and the width of the overall plant. I'd like to see lots more of this little herb, enough to use for daily cooking and for use in drying for winter usage. This is my first year of learning to save seed and I have no idea if I'm going to be able to with this precious little plant, but I'm going to try.

From your friends at Botanical Interests: Marjoram has a sweeter, milder flavor than Oregano. It is wonderful used fresh in salads, and a...Read Mores a substitute for Oregano in cooked dishes such as pizza, tomato sauce, and Eggplant Parmesan. It is also a very popular ingredient in German sausage and herb breads. Marjoram retains its flavor when dried and can be picked at any time when the plants are at least 6" tall. A tender perennial, it will overwinter in USDA zones 9 or warmer.

Marjoram is one of my very favorite herbs. I have always brought it in to overwinter so I can continue to use it fresh. It would likely...Read More survive my zone 5 garden as other zone 6 plants do.

I like Marjoram a lot; but, find I have a hard time finding enough uses for it to justify the space the plant takes up. It is a very vig...Read Moreorous grower, and tends to flop rather than grow upright. I have to prune it fairly severely nearly bi-monthly, to keep it from taking over the small-ish area I have dedicated to perennial herbs. Given the prices grocery stores charge for fresh herbs, I wish I could get them to take some of my marjoram.