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ht: 10 in.
ha: trailing, wiry stems
fc: rose pink with papery pinkish-green bracts
ft: drooping flowers
lt: thicker, leathery blades
lu: ornamental or dried flower
so: Goodwin Creek Gardens

ht: 40cm
fc: lilac-rose

ha: upright
fc: pink
fd: larger than older hybrids

ht: 20cm
fc: dusty mauve
infl: "clouds" of flowers
or: with a name like this can be from any place besides the UK?
so: Manor Nurseries

ht: 12 in. - some reports from Europe range to 50cm or about 19 in.
fc: light purple to lilac pink with greenish bracts
ft: loose, informal heads
bt: later than other hybrids
lc: dark green tinged blue
lu: according to Goodwin Creek it is "not as useful for dried flowers".
so: Goodwin Creek Gardens

lc: silvery-green to grey
flavor: very high oil content, thus popular for commercial oregano production
ns: this name in Greek means "the best". Species affinity is not known.
ch: 6
so: Richters

ht: 12 in.
fc: pink with pinkish white bracts to mauve
ft: papery, hop-like, smallish but very showy
lc: bright green green with silvery veins
ls: roundish (suborbicular)
eval: it is widely regarded as one of the finest hybrids for flowering effect
or: Washfields Nur., Kent, England

ht: 15cm
lc: green tinged purple

ht: 12-24 in.
ha: stems very strong, upright, with arching sprays in flower. Forms a dense woody mat with age.
ha: overall it is more compact than species typical and older selections.
fc: deep purple. One source says "pale lilac"(?). A third says "red-violet". Color varies when
fc: dried too.
fd: bracts larger than species typical
bt: often July through September
lc: dark green sometimes tinged dark red to purple in new growth and cool weather
lu: proven attraction in butterfly gardens
eval: one of the best cultivars for both flower and foliage color.
so: Carroll Gardens
so: Goodwin Creek Gardens

ht: 15-18 in.
gr: more vigorous than typical
st: often red and showy
fc: deep lavender purple with darker bracts. One source says "strong pink".
fd: larger than typical of species
lc: bright but darker green, slightly or blue grey when dried
lu: popular for herb garden color and drying. Useful for colorful in a dry garden.
or: Hopleys Nursery UK
so: Carroll Gardens

fc: rose pink
photo, web: plantscope.nl

web: plantscope.nl

ht: 10 in. - shorter
fc: pink
lc: creamy yellow to white variegation
or: Wellsweep Herbs
so: Carroll Gardens

ht: 18-24 in.
ha: clump-forming, limited spread compared to O. vulgare
flavor: combines sweetness of first parent with hardiness of the second.
prop: sterile, thus rooted cuttings are a must.

ht: 12-18 in. tall x 12-36 in. wide
ls: rounded
ll: "small"
fc: lavender with pink bracts for an overal purplish pink effect.
or: hybrid of unknown parentage. Named for the breeding work of Marshall Olbrich.
so: Suncrest Nurseries

ht: 12-24 in. - some reports say only 8 in.
ha: wiry stems
fc: light "rosy green" or pinkish-purple
lc: "golden green" being brightest in spring
lu: requires some shade in very hot, sunny climates
ns: it is sometimes listed as O. vulgare but by some reports is a hybrid.
so: Goodwin Creek Gardens

lc: golden yellow

Origanum onites 'Variegatum'click image to enlarge Photo take at Reynolda Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC. Spring 2003.

lc: mottled cream to lighter green, often 40-50% of surface being chimera.

fc: similar to 'Kent Beauty' but with redder bracts, thus a richer colored flower
or: Ron Lutsko from seedlings of 'Kent Beauty'
ns: it has been sold as a O. rotundifolium cultivar but since 'Kent Beauty' is also a product of
ns: of O. scabrum, a seedling of it would not be a pure species variant.
so: Suncrest Nurseries

ht: 12-16 in.
ha: dense clump, often mounded, more compact than 'Herrenhausen'
fc: dark pink with purple calyx, often appearing lilac purple to rose-purple from a distance
lc: dark green
ls: somewhat rounded
aw: Perennial Plant of the Year 1998 (Holland)
eval: probably the best flowering hybrid for front of the border use.
so: Busse Gardens 1-800-544-3192
so: Carroll Gardens

ha: mounded
fc: pink with purple calyx
ls: rounded leaf
bt: August to October (MA), later than most other hybrids
so: Avant Gardens

ht: 10cm
fc: lilac-rose
infl: drooping, bell-shaped inflorescence and infructescence.
photo, web: plantscope.nl

ht: 12 in.
ha: vigorous, spreading
fc: rose pink
ft: "long, compact" heads
ch: 7
so: Goodwin Creek Gardens

fc: rose-purple, more purplish 'Rose Charm' which looks similar.
web: plantscope.nl

fc: rose pink
web: plantscope.nl

ht: 12 in. wide
ha: compact, mounded
fc: deep purple

ht: 50cm
ha: densely compact
fc: pink becoming whitish by summer
lc: golden yellow
lw: "narrow"
so: Beeches Nursery

ht: 25cm
fc: white
lc: lighter, bright green

ht: 6-8 in - taller to 10 in. by some reports.
ha: usually trailing, low, spreading becoming more erect in flower
lc: golden yellow
ll: smaller than species typical
fc: lavender
ns: some plants under this name in the US are more compact, trailing (never to 30cm) than reported
ns: in the European literature
lu: in very hot climates this cultivar can burn very badly.
so: Richters

ht: 6-8 in.
lc: golden yellow to yellowish-green
ls: often suborbicular (nearly round)
lm: surface crisped and curled
lu: "mild culinary flavor" (Goodwin Creek Gardens). The color and the nice curl make it a
lu: favorite as a tasty garnish.
so: Richters

ns: G.S. Thomas calls it a "good selected form"
or: Jackman UK

ht: 15cm
ha: lower, compact, spreading, forming mats
ll: smaller than species typical, hence a finer texture
lc: darker green tinged purple in cool weather
fc: pink tinged purple to greenish-purple
lu: used much like Thymus cultivar for rock gardens, between flagstones, trailing over walls, etc.
so: Richters

ht: 10cmn
ha: smaller and more compact than even 'Compactum'
lc: dark green
ll: smaller than species typical
fc: lilac - Carroll Gardens reports their clone to have never flowered

ht: 45cm
lc: moss green with a neat cream margin
fc: mauve
fs: notably tubular

ht: 30 in.
fc: dark pink with dark purple bracts
fq: more floriferous
or: Ed Carmen
so: Digging Dog Nursery

Origanum vulgare 'Jim Best' (6/3) click image to enlarge Photo taken at the Herb Garden, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill NC. May 2003. This is the first we have heard of this clone.

lc: mottled and sectored cream to light green

ht: 30cm
lc: green mottled gold in new growth. Needs much new foliage for best effect.
fc: pink

lc: medium green tipped yellow and sometimes splashed as well.
id: it is not 'Gold Splash' which does have a distinct gold tip but is splashed all over.

ht: 30cm
lc: glossy golden yellow
fc: pink
ls: more rounded than 'Aureum'
eval: considered an improved 'Aureum'

ht: 40cm
fc: lilac-rose to light pink, very showy

ht: 4 in. tall x 20 in. wide
ha: dense, mat or mound, thyme-like in appearance
lc: dark green sometimes tinged red
lf: leaves with a slight mint scent
fc: pink
so: Suncrest Nurseries

ht: 20cm
ha: dwarf
fc: purple

fc: corolla deep red
ns: first seen by us listed by Maver Perennial Nursery, Seattle WA c. 1982

web: plantscope.nl (2001 database without description)

fc: purplish-pink, more purple than 'Aureum' which has a similar leaf color
lc: bright golden yellow as 'Aureum'
or: Barbara Molesworth as seedling of 'Aureum'
so: Bransford.co.uk (online catalog 2001)

infl: longer than var. vulgare (typical species)
ft: bracts hgihly imbricate

Origanum vulgare 'Thumbles' ('Thumbles Variety')click image to enlarge Photo taken at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia. June 2003.

ha: densely mounded
lc: greenish-yellow
ll: smaller than species typical, giving a finer texture

fc: white corolla, green bracts.

lc: bright green broadly white margined, very colorful
in: Nichols Gardens, Albany OR
fq: "flowers inconspicous" (Nichols Gardens)
so: Arrowhead Alpines

ht: 20cm
lc: grey green with a cream margin
fc: purplish-pink

ht: 40cm
fc: lilac

ha: more vigorous than 'Aureum'
lc: golden yellow

Origanum vulgare 'Variegatum'click image to enlarge Photo taken at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia. June 2003. This may be 'White Anniversary' which in the trade appears to be similar. The validly of this Latin name is somewhat in doubt. However this plant is more of a creamy yellow in new growth and that gives us some doubt for the moment.

lc: margined creamy-white