Oregano - Onites (Cretan Oregano)

Origanum onites

The leaves & flower heads can also be dried for use later in winter, though bear in mind that leaves & flowers are harvested separately, with only the young leaves being tasty, & the flowers occurring after it has gone woody & bitter.

Its most common use is in red sauces for pizzas or spaghetti, but it is versatile as a cooking herb. Some oreganos when overcooked lose all their flavor, but Cretan Oregano also called Pot Marjoram has a lasting flavor. It can be used raw on salads, cooked with just about anything, used either fresh or dried, or steeped for tonic teas.


It has a spicy pungency in the garden. Plus, the flowers are nice enough, if only barely, to almost justify it as an ornamental.

If flowers are harvested, the clump will rebloom up to September, being frost-hardy for an autumn presence. It grows very erect, about 40-50cm tall in height, including flower heads.

It wants a position in full sunlight, but can tolerate a few hours of shade. It prefers dryish very well-draining soil, but is adaptable to somewhat wetter positions. Many xeric garden plants really do need periodic watering especially in summer, but this oregano is just about drought hardy enough to never be watered at all.

It also tolerates winds that would be desiccating for many other plants, & is not fussy as to soil type or pH.