(or-RI-ga-num)

General Information:

Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’ is a wonderful little plant for the rock garden. It is not a show stopper, nor does it have big flashy flowers, but it does have a very unique look that gets people talking. It requires almost no care and has few pests.

Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’:photo by Robert Pavlis

Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’ is commonly misnamed Origanum rotundifolium ‘Kent Beauty’. It is actually a primary hybrid between O. rotundifolium and O. scabrum.

I have grown a few different origanums but none have really impressed me until I started growing this one. Each stem is about 15 cm (6”) long and pendent. Stems originating from the center lie on top of the stems growing towards the outer edge, forming a semi-mounding dome. It looks its best in a container, or growing over a rock so the pendent stems can drupe down.

Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’:photo by Robert Pavlis

The flowers are small but show up well through the large bracts which last all summer and cover the stems to such an extent that by late summer you hardly see the leaves. Flowers continue to develop all summer long. The Royal Horticultural Society has rightly given it the Award of Garden Merit.

The pictured plant was grown from seed obtained through the ORG&HPS Seed Exchange Program and is now about 5 years old. It is slow growing, but the mound gets bigger each year.

Oregano, Origanum vulgar, is closely related to this plant and is also in the mint family. Don’t let the reference to mint scare you off.  Kent Beauty does not spread like other mints. It does not make runners and has yet to make a seedling for me. Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’ can be eaten, but is more commonly used as an ornamental. Some people do collect the fragrant stems to make potpourri.

Once new growth starts in spring, cut last year’s growth back to a new bud. It requires no other maintenance for the rest of the year.

Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’:photo by Robert Pavlis

Life Cycle: perennial, considered by some to be a sub-shrub

Height: 15cm (6in)

Bloom Time: all summer

Natural Range: N/A

Habitat: N/A

Synonyms:  N/A

Cultivation:

Light: full sun

Soil: well drained

Water: drought tolerant once established

USDA Hardiness Zone: (5)6– 10, seems hardy in my zone 5 garden

Propagation: seed, division, basal cuttings in spring

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): occasionally

 (mor-IN-uh lon-jee-FOH-lee-uh)

General Information:

Morina longifolia is a rare perennial from the Himalayas.  The genus Morina is named in honour of a French nurseryman Rene Morin who has the distinction of issuing the first seed catalogue in 1621.

Morina longifolia; photo by Robert Pavlis

This plant produces very interesting flowers that open white and then turn pink once they are pollinated. They appear in mid-summer on an elongating flower stem that reaches about 20 cm in length. The glossy leaves form a rosette near the ground and look very much like a Canada Thistle. This resemblance is so strong that I’ve pulled out seedlings by mistake.

Stroking the leaves will produce a strong tangerine perfume that is quite unique. Since the flowers are pollinated by moths, this fragrance is probably stronger at night.

Morina longifolia; photo by Robert Pavlis

When grown from seed it can take anywhere from 2 to 4 years to flower depending on culture. Morina longifolia is a long lived perennial provided that it is not grown too wet in winter. Mine have been growing for 4 years in a dry, clay, zone 5, garden.

 (LAY-mee-um  or-VAH-luh)

General Information:

Mention lamium to most gardeners and they run for the hills. Some lamium spread so fast they are thugs in the garden. Others, like L. maculatum, spread but can be controlled. A few are excellent, well behaved, garden plants and this includes Lamium orvala which forms a nice non-spreading clump. It might seed around a bit, but it is easily pulled out if you get too many.

Lamium orvala: photo by Robert Pavlis

Lamium orvala, also called giant deadnettle, balm-leaved red deadnettle and balm-leaved archangel, is a nice woodland plant. It flowers in late spring and forms a showy clump with coarsely textured, medium green leaves.  It is considered to be drought tolerant but it does better with moisture in the soil. It is slow to establish so give it a couple of years to shine in the garden.

This plant is deer proof and is not bothered by insect pests or diseases. Rabbits may chew on it in early spring. An ‘alba’ form has nice clean white flowers and ‘Silva’ has silver blotches on the leaves.

Lamium orvala: photo by Robert Pavlis

For more information on how various lamium perform in the garden see the Chicago Botanical Garden study.

Life Cycle: perennial

Height: 60 cm (2 ft)

Bloom Time: late spring

Natural Range: Eastern Europe (Austria, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova)

Habitat: wooded areas

Synonyms:  Lamium grandiflorum, Lamium garganica, Lamium pannonicum, Lamium lamioides

Cultivation:

Light: part sun to full shade

Soil: moist, well drained

Water: somewhat drought tolerant

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 - 8

Propagation: seed, division, cuttings

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): rarely