Gatekeeper butterfly on Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare).

I’m always cheered by the sight of a Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus) and the most likely place for me to find one is on flowers of Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare. Numbers in the garden have been high this summer and fortunately Wild Marjoram, which they visit for nectar, is tolerant of droughts like the one we’re having this year and is in full flower at the moment (note 1). Wild Marjoram normally flowers from July to September, though it started in June this year.

Close up of Wild Marjoram flowers

Wild Marjoram in the Garden

I first encountered Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare, in the garden, where it was one my Dad’s favourite plants. I’ve grown it ever since, in the garden and on the allotment. It’s very adaptable and thrives in sun or semi-shade on well-drained soils, whether chalk, sand or loam. It isn’t fussy about pH – soils can be alkaline, neutral or acid. It is also very hardy (down to -15 Celsius). Plants grow around 50 – 80 centimetres (20 – 30 inches) tall and form a  gradually spreading clump, gradually spreading by runners or stolons.

Wild Marjoram is woody but is a hardy perennial and dies back in winter, leaving the old stems. I cut these old stems off in early spring before the plant puts on its new season’s growth. I grow Wild Marjoram in borders with other hardy perennials; it also does well in a bed with other herbs or in a large pot. Plants can be divided easily when dormant and will often seed gently around the garden. The RHS website gives advice on growing Origanum vulgare.

Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) at the allotment.

Nurseries stock several varieties of Origanum vulgare and Wikipedia lists 54 species and hybrids of Origanum. I’ve used Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’ (with golden leaves) and Origanum ‘Hot and Spicy’ (shorter plants with a hotter, spicier taste) in community gardening projects but in my own garden I’m happy with the “normal” variety. Even this can vary in the shade of its flowers.

Wild Marjoram with darker flowers, at the allotment.

Origanum vulgare is a member of the Lamiaceae (Mint family), along with many other herbs. I’ve already written about some of them, including Water Mint (Mentha aquatica), Basil Thyme (Clinopodium acinos), White Deadnettle (Lamium album) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).

The closely related Pot or Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is much less hardy plant and is best overwintered in the shelter of an unheated greenhouse, but it is “recommended in culinary circles for its flavour“.

Wild Marjoram in the Kitchen

Another name for Origanum vulgare is Oregano, from Spanish, Latin and ultimately the Greek “oros” (mountain) and “ganos” (joy), literally meaning “Joy of the Mountain”.

Many recipes call for oregano and it’s a very versatile herb which goes equally well with vegetables or meat. The flowers, leaves and stems are edible, though it is the leaves that are usually picked.

I use fresh Wild Marjoram leaves from the garden in Greek salad, a favourite lunch when homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers are in season. Otherwise, I tend to use the dried herb, which has a stronger taste. It partners well with spices such as chilli and cumin.

Wild Marjoram grown in southern Europe has a much stronger flavour than our homegrown leaves and dried oregano will usually contain leaves from southern European countries, such as Greece. Related species such as Origanum onites (Pot Marjoram) and Origanum majorana (Pot or Sweet Marjoram) may be used (note 2).

My friend and allotment neighbour Rosemary sometimes gives me a pot of oregano that had been gathered from Wild Marjoram harvested on a Greek hillside. It has a superb flavour.

Wild Origanum vulgare

Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) at Grimston Heath, Norfolk

Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare, is native to Europe, much of Asia and Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco in North Africa. It has been introduced into North America, New Zealand and parts of China.

In the British Isles it is a native (outside the Channel Islands). It is found in most 10km squares in England and Wales and gradually becomes scarcer in the west of Scotland and the west and north of Ireland.

Wild Marjoram grows on dry, infertile, calcareous soils. It can be found in grassland, hedge banks and scrub. It is a colonist of bare or sparsely vegetated ground, including quarries, pavements and road verges. It is also occasionally naturalised from gardens. In tougher growing conditions plants are usually less vigorous than ones grown in good garden soil.

Distribution of Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare). Image from 2020 BSBI Plant Atlas.

Stace also lists Pot Marjoram (Origanum majorana) as a rare casual growing in the British Isles (note 3).

Medicinal uses

The Plants for a Future website lists a number of medicinal uses for Origanum vulgare. These include aiding digestion, promoting menstruation, treating respiratory conditions and as an antiseptic (note 4). It is strongly sedative and should not be taken in large doses or be taken medicinally by pregnant women (except in small amounts as a herb in cooking).

Wild Marjoram for Wildlife

Wild Marjoram is a great source of nectar for insects, including the Gatekeepers I mentioned above.

It is a foodplant of the day-flying Mint Moth, Pyrausta aurata, which flutters around the plants in the sunshine.

We visited Ranscombe Farm in Kent in June and found Wild Marjoram with galls caused by the mite Aceria labiatiflorae. The flowers and leaves had become matted with a felt of white hairs.

Gall caused by the mite Aceria labiatiflorae, on Wild Marjoram.

I saw my first Small Copper butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas) on Wild Marjoram in our garden in Scotland and we’ve seen one in our garden this summer.

Small Copper butterfly on Wild Marjoram

Notes

Note 1 – The Gatekeeper butterfly is found in the southern half of Great Britain and in the extreme south of Ireland, though recent years have seen a few sightings in Scotland. They are common here in Norfolk and during July and early August I usually see several of  them every time I visit the allotment or go out into the garden. The adult butterflies are fond of flowers, especially Wild Marjoram. The larvae feed on grasses, mainly bents (Agrostis spp.), fescues (Festuca spp.) and meadow-grasses (Poa spp.).

When I grew up in Scotland Gatekeepers were an exotic southern butterfly (as were Brimstones, Commas and Holly Blues). I still remember seeing my first Gatekeeper, in August 1982 on Anglesey, on a visit to see my grandmother.

Origanum vulgare has a long, deep root run and very numerous, long root hairs, which allow it to tolerate prolonged periods of drought, though it’s best to water newly established or transplanted plants.

Note 2 – According to Deni Bown in the “Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses”. (Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995.), commercially available dried oregano can also come from other plants, including Mexican Oregano (Lippia graveolens), Lippia palmeri and Za’atar (Origanum syriacum).

But in 2015 it was revealed that one in four (19 out of 78) commercial samples of dried oregano contained added ingredients, most commonly myrtle and olive leaves.

Note 3 – Clive Stace, “New Flora of the British Isles“, Fourth Edition (2019).

Note 4 – Over 60 different compounds have been identified from Origanum vulgare, primarily carvacrol and thymol. Both carvacrol and thymol have antiseptic properties.