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Sweet marjoram
Habit (mature) · Dobromila / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Limited coverage
Sweet marjoram
Origanum majorana
A tender Mediterranean culinary herb — a bushy little sub-shrub with reddish square stems and rounded, gray-green aromatic leaves that grows in an upright mound to 1-2 feet. Tiny white-to-pale-pink flowers open from knot-like bud clusters in summer, the trait behind the alternate name "knotted marjoram." Hardy only in USDA zones 9-10; everywhere colder it is grown as a warm-season annual or a pot herb brought in before frost.
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: narrow (23/100)
Edible
Container
Border
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
8-24" tall · 12" apart
Hardy in zones
9a-10b
frosty to mild winters
Summer heat range
Warm-Extreme
warm to extreme summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
No
Heat and drought tolerant (Missouri Botanical Garden); NC State Extension lists tolerance/resistance to deer, drought, dry soil, heat, poor soil, and rabbits, and notes the plant is intolerant of poorly drained, saturated soils where it rots.
Climate notes
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Won't grow here
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Won't grow here
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
Out of range today and still out of range in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/sweet-marjoram
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Backs 1 field
Image
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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