Origanum 'Kent Beauty'

With the poise of an ornamental and the useful soul of oregano, Origanum 'Kent Beauty' is a small wonder for sun-baked edges, gravel gardens and raised troughs. This RHS Award of Garden Merit winner forms a neat, low-growing subshrub, its softly trailing stems dressed in aromatic, blue-green leaves that release that familiar Mediterranean scent when brushed. From midsummer into early autumn, Origanum 'Kent Beauty' produces its most curious flourish: dangling, hop-like bracts in soft pink and green, with tiny mauve flowers peeping from within. It is delicate rather than demure, and all the better for being a little unusual at the front of the border.

For patios, Origanum 'Kent Beauty' is especially charming in a terracotta pot, where its cascading habit can be appreciated at close quarters and its papery flowers admired like miniature botanical lanterns. Give it full sun and sharply drained soil, and it will reward you with months of texture, colour and quiet character. Although related to culinary oregano, Origanum 'Kent Beauty' is grown chiefly for its looks, bringing a relaxed, Mediterranean mood to dry planting schemes and wildlife-friendly gardens. Compact, resilient and gently eccentric, Origanum 'Kent Beauty' proves that the smallest plants often have the most memorable personalities.