Oregano

If you like Italian food, then grow some oregano. It's great in pasta dishes but my favourite is stuffed mushrooms - check out the recipes section of the site.

Oregano is a perennial herb and is easy to grow and to propagate. Just plant your seedlings in full sun, in well drained soil and keep the soil moist. I find oregano to be a very hardy plant, surviving heavy frosts and hot summer days.

Plants tend to die back to a large extent in winter but some leaves are still available. For this reason, it's worth growing more than 1 plant. I have 4 plants at the moment, which provide me with enough leaves for a year round supply.

If you like a cottage garden effect, then you'll probably like oregano for its flowers.

Propagate by root division. Do this by gently removing stems from the bottom of the plant, making sure there's some root attached. Any stem with roots attached should grow easily.