Growing Cuban Oregano for Flavor and Beauty

Herbs offer incredible flavor to dishes, and Cuban oregano is no exception. This plant is a unique and beautiful specimen to add to an herb garden or ornamental landscape. 

leaves of a variegated cuban oregano plant.

All About Cuban Oregano

Cuban oregano [Plectranthus amboinicus aka Coleus amboinicus] belongs to the mint family and comes with a variety of other common names, depending on where you’re asking about it: Indian borage, country borage, French thyme, Indian mint, Mexican mint, broad leaf thyme, soup mint, and Spanish thyme. 

The plant is somewhat succulent with fuzzy leaves, making it a pretty and edible addition to landscapes and flower pots. There’s a variegated variety as well. It’s quite a different plant from common oregano, and you won’t find it in dried form in the spice rack, as you will with other oregano varieties.

cuban oregano leaves in dappled sunlight.

Cuban oregano is native to parts of Africa and grows well in warm regions. It’s frost tender and thrives in USDA zones 10 and above. That said, I’ve had good luck growing it inside as a houseplant, so even if you’re in a cooler region, you can likely grow it indoors.

This plant can be somewhat obscure and hard to obtain at a nursery; if you can find a gardening friend who has it, it’s easy to start from cuttings.

The plant grows up to 3′ in height and will spread 3′- 4′ across making it a nice ground cover for use in garden design and borders.

Light requirements

Unlike regular oregano [Origanum vulgare] or Mexican oregano [Lippia graveolens], which requires full sun, this pungent herb actually does well in partial sun or a lightly shaded area. 

Soil and water requirements

Cuban oregano isn’t a very needy plant and thrives with minimal care. Provide a well draining soil for this plant and water to maintain consistent moisture. 

cuban oregano plant in a garden container.

Growing Cuban Oregano in Containers

The great benefit of growing cuban oregano in containers – other than its beauty – is that you can move the pot to a protected area during colder months to overwinter it. 

Ensure the container has holes in the bottom for drainage and fill with a potting soil meant for outside container plantings. Set plants in the soil at the same level as they were in their containers and gently firm soil around the roots. 

If you’re planting rooted cuttings, be sure that all of the roots are buried completely in the soil. 

Water container to keep soil slightly moist. Add a water-soluble, balanced plant fertilizer to the watering can every few weeks to keep plants green and growing.

Close up of leaves on a variegated cuban oregano plant.

How to Harvest 

Cutting the tips of growing branches will help prevent the plant from getting leggy, and those trimmed ends are perfect for using in cooking.

Using Cuban Oregano in the Kitchen

Because of its strong flavor profile, Cuban oregano leaves should be used in smaller quantities than other oregano varieties like Greek oregano or Mexican oregano. 

The flavor is similar, though, and shines in recipes from South America, Central America, or the Mediterranean. 

Home cooks can use it in Latin American and Mexican dishes like beef tacos, black beans, or even for seasoning meat and chicken.

Stems also make a pretty garnish for serving when used fresh.

stems of a leafy plant in a jar.

Propagation

To root cuttings of this plant, cut a stem 8″ to 10″ long and remove several of the lowest leaves. Place the stem cuttings in water and soon roots will begin to emerge from the nodes that are underwater. 

roots growing from a cutting.

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

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