Thanksgiving Ornamental Oregano

Thanksgiving Ornamental Oregano (Origanum x 'Erntedank') is a stunningly colorful ornamental oregano. 'Erntedank' is the German word for Thanksgiving). This fragrant herb colors the garden with pink flowers and deep rose-purple calyxes from early summer to fall. A pollinator favorite, it’s a beauty in containers too. It isn’t clear why this plant is so difficult to find in cultivation, because it’s a cold hardy, adaptable, and easy-to-grow perennial. Fragrant herbal foliage is generally deer and rabbit resistant. It grows best with full sun in almost any soil that drains well (not wet clay). A Mediterranean native, it needs regular water in the first season and is drought tolerant once established, and will gradually spread to form a lovely mass of fall color that deer tend to avoid. It only needs to be cut back to the ground in early spring. Hardy in zones 6-10, they will return reliably in spring when happy. Combine it with Schizachyrium (Little Bluestem), Bouteloua 'Blonde Ambition' (Blue Grama Grass), and Salvia azurea (Prairie Sage), to name just a few.