Plant of the Day: Cuban oregano Plectranthus amboinicus

This has got to be the cutest, fuzziest, herb in town! With it's perfect thick, bright green, rounded, succulent leaves and it's unmistakable super-skunky aromatics, everyone needs to have a pot of this lil' guy on their balcony or window sill.
It's proper Latin is Plectranthus amboinicus and it belongs to Lamiaceae or the mint family as do many other highly aromatic herbs including mints and sages. Most commonly known (by me at least) as Cuban oregano, this herb's also known as Spanish thyme, Jamaican oregano, Indian borage,and Mexican mint. It's many names reflect it's culinary world travels, spicing up meaty cuisine from SE Asia to N. Europe and the Caribbean. Though it's origins are unknown...mysterious lil' herb. It's ethnobotanical and medicinal uses in India include relief of the common cold (sore throat, coughing, etc.) and even flatulence!

In San Diego, this velvety herb is perennial, cutting back after flowering a profusion of "dinosaur" looking, yet lavender- like white to purple flowers late in he fall and into winter. Cuban's habit is mounding and compact average 12" x 12"or less; great addition to any plant collection whether it be a kitchen window sill, patio container, vegetable garden, or front yard landscape.



Cuban requires regular water to become established, but as evidenced by it's succulent, fuzzy leaves, this herb can hold it's own when it comes to drought tolerance. To propagate and shape the plant in one fail swoop, cut back after flowering. Occurring sometime between late winter and early spring, and stick the cuttings in soil. They'll root almost right before your eyes.

Plant of the Day: Santolina chamaecyparissus

My favorite plant today is Santolina chamaecyparissus, commonly called Lavender cotton.
Though it is not related to lavender, both are branching perennial shrubs native to the Mediteranean with silver-gray foliage and high concentrations of aromatic oils.
It has wooly stems and foliage and bright yellow button-like flowers. They kinda looks like Kix cereal puffs! Santolina belongs to the Asteraceae family. Daisies and sunflowers are flowers typical of this family.

Santolina's little golden puffs accompanied by purple-blue spires of salvia make for a fantastic contrast. It's minute leaves and sweet mounding habit (18" tall & wide) make it perfect for rock gardens or low hedge.

Lavender cotton is a historically popular plant used in knot gardens because because of it's tight stout growth and ease in hedging.
It is a choice plant for SD, growing in almost any well draining soil and requiring little water after established. Absolutely boombastic fantasticwhen planted en mass.

Cut off spent flowers after bloom and cut back to a few inches in spring to keep it from becoming leggy.

The Beginning

A little over a year ago I moved to San Diego from Tacoma, WA where I was a gardener. It was basically like moving from the rainforest to a desert with irrigation. With an education & 12 years working experience in many facets of the plant world up north, I was ready to live in a new paradisaical southern climate and seek out container gardening. Less bending and a better tan.
I religiously sought out a job and landed one here with the Little Italy Association as their new Ornamental Landscaper, basically doing exactly what I had hoped. Hee-yah! My job was to initiate the beautification project, as my boss put it "...just make it look beautiful. You're our flower girl." Never in the past would I have applauded such a name for myself, flower girl, but I now loved it. I am responsible for hooking up Little Italy with bombastic plants. Plain and simple.
As I said earlier, I moved from western Washington long enough ago now to have watched the 4 seasons of a year in San Diego. It's been an amazing and sometimes perplexing experience getting to know the plant life in a climate where there is no freeze. (Plants don't rest over the winter?) And where rainfall is bare minimum. (Where's all the swimming holes in August?) We live in a Mediterranean climate where water in a precious resource and wasting it is silly. Being a gardener in SD has taken some getting used to, as well as trial and error... and a little bit of failure. But the rejoicings out ring the bad ideas and that's why I love my job.
My goal is to plant as organically, as water-wisely, and as bombastic as I can imagine. If I play my cards right, this could make me famous...
By the way, my name is Karin Thorpe, Little Italy's Ornamental Landscaper. I'm 34 years old and was born and raised in north Jersey. I like Italian food and long walks with my dog Sugar... and I'm in love with plants.