It’s no secret that herbs can make a wonderful addition to your yard, whether you have a dedicated herb garden or plant different varieties among your edible crops or flowering plants. While many popular herbs will grow nicely when planted in and around your other garden plants, there’s one fast-growing herb you might not want to plant directly in the garden. We’re not talking about mint, but a close cousin in the same family, commonly known as marjoram (Origanum majorana). Another closely related species, wild marjoram, more commonly known as oregano (Origanum vulgare), looks incredibly similar, and they both have lovely flowers that are fairly difficult to distinguish from each other. In fact, you can easily plant these drought-tolerant herbs together for a more successful herb garden.

Marjoram, along with its close relatives, is a fast-growing herb that you want to think twice about planting in your garden unless you have the time and inclination to keep the growth under control. While neither marjoram or oregano are listed as invasive, their growth can be considered quite aggressive, just like some other species in the same family (as a side note, did you know that there’s an easy trick to spot plants in the mint family?). The downsides to planting these in your garden is that they’re likely to overrun more well-behaved species if they’re allowed to grow rampantly without any effective control.

Fast-growing plants like marjoram are among a whole range of Mediterranean herbs you can grow in containers. Due to its origins, marjoram requires excellent drainage and loves the heat of summer. When grown in a suitable pot with adequate drainage holes, this herb will thrive if you position it in a sunny spot on your patio or veranda. It also makes quite an attractive specimen for a hanging basket, which the bees will absolutely love when the plant starts to flower. You’ll find that the blooms are also edible and have a spicy, sweet flavor when used in cooking. Similarly, oregano flowers are also edible and have a slightly milder flavor than the leaves of that species.

If you live in the northern parts of the country, growing marjoram (or oregano) in containers offers you an additional benefit as these herbs don’t like the cold and will not survive through the winter. Therefore, it can be quite useful to bring your potted herbs inside during the colder months if you want to take advantage of their perennial nature. As long as your home is warm enough and you have a nice bright window spot for your herbs, you should be able to enjoy them in your cooking year round. However, if you lack a bright enough spot and you’re keen to keep your herbs growing, you might like to invest in a grow light to provide those optimum conditions.