The Superb Herb – Easy-to-grow oregano is useful in the garden, valuable in the kitchen

No one should be without a pot of oregano in the garden. This versatile, easy-to-grow perennial is one of the most important herbs in the kitchen. Salad dressings, pizza, pasta sauces, marinades, soups and many other dishes are best with a generous helping of oregano leaves for flavor. 
Oregano is known botanically as Origanum vulgare. Traditional oregano forms 1- to 2-foot-tall branches covered in crinkly, deep-green leaves. If you prefer a more pungent oregano, try Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare hirtum, also known as Origanum heracleoticum), which has fuzzy gray-green leaves. 
Growing oregano is extremely easy — full sun, minimal amount of water and little to no fertilizer. Oregano prefers well-drained soil but will adapt to heavier soils as well. Because oregano’s creeping stems root wherever they touch the ground, they can grow on and on and on. Oregano can even be planted successfully in very hard-baked, dry soil in full sun.  The creeping stems have no trouble adapting to the terrible soil and within a few years, it will grow into a terrific low-water ground cover. For visual contrast,   interplant some golden-leaved oregano along with the deep-green variety. Just squeezing a handful of either one releases the aroma of great cooking.
If your garden space is limited, consider use a wide, shallow bowl for oregano. Place the bowl in full sun near the kitchen door to have oregano whenever you need it.
Cooking with oregano: Remember that most recipes are written for dry herbs, which are not nearly as pungent as fresh herbs. So, if you use fresh oregano, or any other fresh herb, start with half as much as the recipe calls for and adjust to taste.

Propagation
Starting new oregano plants is a cinch since plants root wherever they touch the ground. Find an existing plant, dig up a piece of the root and plant it where you want it. Plants are easy to start from seed as well.

The name game
The name “oregano” is used for several different plants, some edible and some ornamental. In addition to the culinary oreganos, there are a number of wonderful ornamental oreganos in the genus Origanum such as ‘Santa Cruz’ ‘Kent’s Beauty’ and Origanum laevigatum (‘Hopley’s’). These oreganos are valued not just for their green or gray-green leaves and low-growing profile, but also for their flowers and flower bracts, which come in shades of pale green or white, pink, purple and burgundy.
Mexican oregano is an altogether different plant with a wonderful culinary value of its own. Known botanically as Lippia gaveolens, the shrubby perennial grows to about 6 feet tall in our gardens. The two herbs have a similar taste but are not exactly the same. Mexican oregano is popular in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking.