How to Grow Mexican Bush Oregano

 

The Mexican bush oregano botanical name is Poliomintha longiflora. The plant is a flowering perennial plant that is native to Mexico. The Mexican bush oregano grows very well in Texas and other hot, dry parts of the United States. The Mexican bush oregano is not actually related to your average garden oregano plant, Mexican bush oregano produces attractive, fragrant purple flowers and it can easily survive in harsh and varied conditions, which actually makes it an excellent choice for parts of the garden where nothing else seems to be able to survive. Just continue reading to learn more about how to grow Mexican bush oregano and Mexican bush oregano plant care.

 Growing Mexican Bush Oregano Plants

The Mexican bush oregano is actually sometimes referred to as rosemary mint, they can’t be grown everywhere. In fact the plant hardiness falls between USDA zones seven and eleven. In zones seven through eight, however, it is only root hardy. This simply means that all the plant top growth will die back in the winter, with the roots surviving to put up new growth each spring. The plant roots aren’t always guaranteed to make it, most especially if the winter is a cold one. In zones eight through nine, some of the top plant growth is likely to die back in the winter, with the older woody growth surviving and putting out new shoots in the spring. In zones nine through eleven, the Mexican bush oregano plants are at their best, surviving all year round as an evergreen shrub.

Mexican Bush Oregano Plant Care

The Mexican bush oregano plant care is very easy. The Mexican bush oregano plants are highly drought tolerant. The plant will grow in a wide variety of soils but they prefer it to be extremely well drained and slightly alkaline. The Mexican bush oregano plants don’t really suffer from pests, and the plant actually deter deer, making them a very excellent choice for areas plagued by deer problems. All the way from spring to fall, the Mexican bush oregano plants produce fragrant purple tubular flowers. Removing faded flowers will actually encourages new ones to bloom. In areas where the Mexican bush oregano plants don’t suffer from dieback in the winter, you may want to prune them back lightly in the spring in other to keep the plant bushy and compact.