The ancients revered sweet marjoram as a gentle, calming herb. Newly married couples in Greece were crowned with garlands of sweet marjoram at their weddings. Ancient legend reported that anointing yourself before sleep would allow you to dream about your future spouse. Present day citizens probably associate sweet marjoram more with turkey dressing than marital bliss. However, I guess marital bliss can be disrupted if the turkey dressing is bad." -Still, Steven "Manual or Herbaceous Ornamental Plants
Description
The flavor is strongest if the leaves are cut just before the flower buds open. The leaves can be used fresh or dried in vinegars, soups, herb butters, and stuffing.
Additional Info
Grown for its flavorful leaves. Harvest before flowering. Use fresh or dried leaves in soups, sauces, stews and rubbed on meat.
New plantings should be watered daily for a couple of weeks. After that, depending on the weather and soil type, watering can be adjusted to every two or three days. Clay soils hold moisture longer than sandy soils, so expect to water more frequently in sandy settings.
Different plants have different water needs. Some plants prefer staying on the dry side, others like to be consistently moist. Refer to the plant label to check a plant’s specific requirements.
Ideally water should only be applied to the root zone - an area roughly 6-12” (15-30cm) from the base of the plant, not the entire plant. A soaker hose is a great investment for keeping plants healthy and reducing water lost through evaporation. Hand watering using a watering wand with a sprinkler head attached is also a good way to control watering. If the garden area is large, and a sprinkler is necessary, try to water in the morning so that plant foliage has time to dry through the day. Moist foliage encourages disease and mold that can weaken or damage plants.
To check for soil moisture use your finger or a small trowel to dig in and examine the soil. If the first 2-4” (5-10cm) of soil is dry, it is time to water.
Pruning
Prune plants freely to maintain the desired size and shape. Pinching plants back stimulates dense, bushy new growth and encourages more flowers.
Remove old flowers to keep plant looking healthy and prevent seed production that drains the plant’s energy at the expense of forming new flowers.
Some plants are grown only for their attractive foliage (such as coleus, dusty miller and flowering kale). Their flowers are not very showy and any buds should be pinched off to keep the foliage looking its best.
