Cuban Oregano

It's my First Post!

The wind is blowing, December's gotten everything all damp, cold and darkish outside. But the sun never stops shining here. I'm Ashley, and I'm pretty excited to let people in on the benefits of gardening. Even as a true beginner, you can get immense joy out of growing even just one plant in your house.

It's so fulfilling to watch things in your care thrive and prosper. Human beings were given this mighty power to raise life out of the earth for necessity and for happiness. Now I want humankind to find this power and use it in the ways that suits society in the present. This is the best way I know how.

In my college design class we were directed to research the psychological effects of colors on the human mind and emotions. In this research I discovered that the color green is naturally soothing and calming to the brain. That's when it dawned on me -- That's why plants make us happy! Since then I've completely surrounded myself in leaves, stems, flowers, catkins and just enough soil to hold them all.

I'd like to start this great journey by talking about one of my favorite plants of all time, both indoor and out. 

Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus)

This is the Cuban Oregano I grew for two years starting in 2009. The picture was taken while I was bringing it back outside during the spring. When you have a plant that you love and can spend a little extra time on, it can be worth it to drag it inside for the winter and outside when the weather gets warm. Cuban Oregano seemed to enjoy its winter inside, but I noticed that it was very sensitive to the cold, wet springs here in Seattle and wilted from cold damage a couple months later.

The colors in this image weren't edited. It's really that bright. The leaves can also be variegated (two-toned) and also can be shaped differently. The most attractive feature about this plant is definitely the smell, which will permeate the entire room if you rub a leaf, or will linger on your person if you come in contact. The smell is spicy and kind of mystical, and only slightly reminiscent of common oregano.

I also learned that Cuban Oregano has a long history of health benefits, and the flavor adds a real kick to beans and rice, so it's an all around great plant. For a novice gardener I would recommend this, certainly. If you want to do it the easy way (My favorite!) just wait until the weather warms up in your area and head off to your local nursery. Sometimes it's hard for the nurseries to track down due to availability (Especially up here in cold wet Seattle) so you might have to try it from seed. I'll be considering the variegated one for spring!