Oregano growing tips

Oregano is a very common ingredient of Italian dishes. It is a perennial herb and have many varieties. But not every variety is suitable for every purpose. Some varieties are good to taste whereas some are best for ornamental purposes. So consult your local nursery shop before deciding the variety you want to grow.

How to grow Oregano?

Oregano can grow in any type of soil which have good drainage system. If the
soil is absorbing too much moisture and not able to drain properly there might be some problem with growing oregano in this. You can add compost and other soil media to increase the drainage capacity of the soil. You can also grow them in containers.

Oregano can grow in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil. Ideal pH range is 6.0 to 8.0.

Generally oregano plants do not require any additional fertilizer if you have provided compost at the time of planting. They are not that voracious eater like many of other vegetables. If you have plated in a container you would require to fertilize it from time to time.

Planting:

You can start planting Oregano in three ways:

Start with the seeds. Plant them 6 inches apart and letter thin the seedlings 12 inches apart.

Buy seedlings from nursery shops: buy from a shop which has good reputation and use transplants which are 3 inches in length.

Separate some branches from an existing bush and use it as a separate plant.First remove the bottom leaves from the separated branch and then plant them in moist sand after dipping in root growing solution. Once roots emerged from the plant you can now safely transplant them to a container or to your backyard.

Watering your plant:

Oregano is one of the plants that will prefer drier climate than a moist one. Too much moisture in the soil will cause root rotting.

Harvesting:

The leaf and the flowering top are the portion which are harvested for use.

You can harvest them any time during its growing time. It is most flavorous when flowers stat to bloom. Removing the flowers will add extra flavour in the leaves. Harvest the leaves from outside of the plant to inwards and from top to downwards. The leaves tastes stronger once dried than fresh.

Pest problem:

Some aphids and spider mites tend to disturb the growth of the plant. Try using organic pest control techniques to rid of those. It is not very good at competing with the weeds also. That is why it is important that you remove weeds prior to planting oregano. Here are some of the techniques that you can try. Also using mulch can prevent extra weeds as the plant starts growing.

Do you have any experience of growing oregano? Share it to us:

Glorious Gravel Gardens

Well I never thought I would get quite this excited about gravel but actually it really does inspire me.  Gravel is one of the most underused material in the Tuscan garden especially by overseas home owners.  Strangely no matter how much property owners from the UK, USA, Germany and France love classic Tuscan gardens they still want Lawns!  This is often a topic that causes some difficult discussions and heated conversations with our clients.  Lawns are expensive and need a huge amount of yes you guessed it Water.  So at the risk of getting hot under my collar about lawns in Tuscany I'll stick to my original topic 'glorious gravel'.

Gravel can be practical and hard wearing, it can be cost effective and a quick solution for some areas but most of all gravel is an attractive solution. Gravel paths can weave through gardens from space to space, gravelled driveways give a sense of grandeur to a property, gravelled beds keep the soil cool and hydrated whilst also acting as a protective mulch.

Now there are many types of gravel, I favour river bed gravel for ornamental or formal spaces, whereas more angular rough gravels are better suited to sloped driveways where water flow would cause round or bevelled gravel to roll away.  Essentially, if you do the groundwork well a gravel garden will give a relatively low maintenance result.  You will need to excavate, base line with a permeable membrane and then lay a specialist honeycombed product which will hold your gravel in place.

On an aesthetic note, gravel gardens are classic elements of formal Tuscan Gardens and can transform an otherwise unattractive area.  For centuries gravel paths have been used to divide formal beds and borders and they often protect plants from invasion from rampant weeds.  The moisture retained within the gravel allow plants to enjoy a little moisture when the Tuscan Sun is at its most forceful.  So if you have a large but tired expanse of expensive lawn why not consider breaking it up with a few graveled areas.

Please do call me to discuss your ideas on 3345995702

2013 Gardens on the go

Here in Tuscany the seasons have had a strange uneven flow of late and many plants have gone into a state of confusion, to blossom or not to blossom this is the dilemma.  

The last few weeks have been taken up by planting thousands of spring bulbs, Narcissus, aliums, crocus, iris, tulips you name them we've dug the holes for them.  The nursery garden is full of trays and pots and we are awaiting the arrival of our new poly tunnel.

In December our latest garden design project in Tuscany kicked off with a flurry of activity.  We are now in mid flow of creating a relaxed family garden designed to deter wasps, bees and other stingers as the family are extremely allergic.  We are introducing meandering gravel paths, hidden corners in which to sit and relax, flower borders beneath the trees and a covered eating area.  A large semi circle of neutral toned gravel has given the old Tuscan Farmhouse a welcoming entrance and we are introducing raised beds for veggis and herbs which have been handcrafted from chestnut timber poles.

The garden is taking on a whole new identity one that draws you in to different spaces and entices you to explore.

Our wonderful tree surgeon Oscar and his assistant Stefano have just completed a chestnut pergola for a woodland cottage in Pescia and also created a bespoke handcrafted wrought iron balustrade.  We love including artisan or one-off designs in our garden projects as they give the outside space a unique quality.  Next up on the list is a 'Alice in Wonderland' style tree-house constructed from natural timber, no straight lines here!  We are building this tree house with the idea that it will last for generations and still appeal to teenagers and adults alike.

When not working in a client's garden I'm pouring over seed catalogues for a little indulgence as I have just started an orto in our own garden here near Siena.  I also hope to create a small formal kitchen/herb garden or 'witches' garden as they are known here.

A few images from Bella Terra's gardens this winter...

 

 

Little By Little

Gardens in Tuscany have never been so beautiful, in my eyes at least.  With the cooler air and the changing of the seasons the landscapes take on a whole new vibrancy.  Lately at Bella Terra we have been dividing our time between serious ground moving and hands on gardening.  Fences have been crafted from Chestnut poles in the traditional Tuscan style.  Hillside gardens have been shored up and secured using a no cement environmentally friendly system and a monastic inspired culinary herb garden designed and planted.

Over the Autumn our to-do lists are positively overflowing but all with good stuff.  Our sheds are full to the brim with 1000s of bulbs and corms and we are chomping at the bit to start on an adventure playground and tree-house fort for a family near Pescia.

For now though we are continuing our work on two wonderful gardens near Arezzo and Montespertoli both of which will in time grow to be truly beautiful.  We have planted climbing roses, aromatic herbs, lavender beds, Russian sage borders, banks and banks of iris, Box Hedging and now we are working on wild flower meadows.

Whilst I truly love working outside I am also looking forward to getting back to the drawing board this Autumn.  I have been inspired by a good friend to work on a collection of 'one stop pots' where we can provide 'instant' garden solutions for rooftop and patio gardens.  Lightweight, low maintenance and hassle free, so watch this space.

Below are a few in progress shots of projects on the go...

This garden was sliding down the hill

Chestnut uprights and horizontal metal supports secure the bank

This Eco method uses 'zero' cement

Terraces are manageable and ready for planting

Classic Tuscan fencing

The timber fence sits gently amongst the woodland setting

3 months old, the early stages of a formal kitchen garden

Dry Stone Walls, Herbs, Lemons, Apples and a quiet space to relax

Summer storms

My last post seems particularly premature as we have now had 8 days of rain, the new herb spiral survived, thankfully, and every other area of the gardens we work with are growing like crazy.  We are currently creating a garden for reflection including lots of medicinal and healing herbs, aromatics and traditional plants usually found in ancient Monastic gardens.  This week I am really in love with Greek Basil which can be grown in pots and trimmed into lovely curves and flowing shapes, the perfect pot to have on the garden table, it smells lovely when you brush the leaves.

Just lately I have seen some real garden disasters, all of which could have been avoided if better planning had been implemented early on.  Following the heavy rain so many pools have been filled with Mud as fast flowing streams of rain wash away soil badly placed around the pool.

Creating rolling banks may seem an answer to utlising the huge amount of excavated earth created when digging out a pool, but it is not, also this is not generally good to grow plants in.  Yesterday I saw a very very sad 'New' garden with mounds of stony earthy piled high and levelled off around the pool and bathing area of a Tuscan house near Poggibonsi.  The hedging plants were dying as there was not top soil or mulch and the swimming pool had been the recipent of streams of muddy water from the banks...tragedy.  Expensive and avoidable. 

However learning from our mistakes arms us with knowledge for the future.  when it has not been raining I have been taking a look around a few Tuscan gardens.