Marjoram
Origanum majorana · Tender perennial
A tender perennial that trails as it grows, so it does best in wide, shallow containers with room for the stems to spread.
What it needs indoors
- Light
- Full sun6+ hours direct sun
- Water
- Let it dry outAllow the surface to dry between waterings
- Temperature
- 65–75°F
- Growing medium
- Well-draining; wide, shallow container
- Native range
- The eastern Mediterranean and Turkey
- Difficulty
- Beginner
What usually goes wrong
Stems trail over the pot edge and the base goes bare
Half habit, half light. Marjoram trails by nature, but a dim position stretches that into long naked stems carrying leaves only at the tips.
Fix: Wide, shallow pot with room to spread, in the brightest window available. Pinch the tips every couple of weeks from early on. A marjoram pinched young stays dense.
Leaf drop and blackened tips after a cold spell
It is a tender perennial, unlike its hardy cousin oregano. Much below 50°F does damage, and the coldest place in any room is against the window at night.
Fix: Keep it off cold glass and away from a door to the outside. Cut the damaged growth back once the plant has warmed up and it will usually come away again from the base.
Flavour thins out mid-season
The plant redirects into flower buds and the leaves coarsen behind them.
Fix: Pinch the knot-like buds out as they appear. If it has already flowered, cut the whole plant back by half and let it regrow.
