Plays Well With Others!
By late
September local school children have returned to their classrooms and are
adapting to new teachers, new challenges, new friends. Parents share concerns for their children,
hoping they perform well academically, as well as socially. Socialization and cooperation are valuable
attributes to develop, both inside and outside the classroom. Each child must learn to be compatible with
their peers and teachers and, hopefully, learn to play well with others!
In a home
garden environment, certain plants also exhibit desirable characteristics, like
compatibility. While some plants have
aggressive tendencies and encroach on the space occupied by neighboring plants,
other plants remain “close to their roots.”
A favorite of mine… a polite little plant… is ornamental oregano ‘Kent
Beauty’ (Origanum
rotundifolium). ‘Kent Beauty’ has delicate,
fragrant foliage and drooping pastel pink-lavender flowers, and it always plays
well with others!
Although
‘Kent Beauty’ is considered an herb, it is not intended for culinary purposes;
there are several other oreganos for use in cooking. ‘KB’ can be grown in a pot and tucked in with
sedum plants; it loves a sunny location and will also thrive if grown directly
in the ground (prefers well drained soil).
At Chicago
Botanic Garden, I noticed a large vertical garden display that included several
‘Kent Beauty’ plants, which were quite lovely with their trailing, drooping
flower heads. The vertical display contained a variety of other annuals, which
combined nicely for an attractive design.
‘Kent Beauty’ might also be used in beds and borders… a versatile,
compatible little plant that usually flowers June through September. If
you haven’t yet enjoyed ‘KB’ in your backyard, try it next season, and you will
observe that it plays well with others!
M. Lynn
Schmid, Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture
