Barbara Tingey Ornamental Oregano

Barbara Tingey is a trailing ornamental oregano with aromatic foliage and a long display of flowers and colorful bracts. Its small, cascading form suits gravel gardens, rockeries, raised edges, and containers where the stems can spill visibly. ## Form and flowering The Royal Horticultural Society describes grey-green leaves, pale-purple flowers, and pale-green bracts flushed rose pink. Denver Botanic Gardens records pink flowers, a trailing semi-evergreen habit, full sun, and USDA Zone 7 as the coldest zone where the cultivar is hardy. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria places the selection among cultivars of probable hybrid origin and describes it as a sub-shrub; the proposed parentage includes *O. calcaratum* and *O. rotundifolium*. ([RHS](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/92958/origanum-barbara-tingey/details), [Denver Botanic Gardens](https://navigate.botanicgardens.org/weboi/oecgi2.exe/INET_ECM_DispPl?DETAIL=1&NAMENUM=34594), [Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria](https://hortflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/taxon/ada156a6-5340-11e7-b82b-005056b0018f)) ## Placement Choose a sunny position with well-drained soil. The RHS lists chalk, loam, or sand and recommends poor to moderately fertile ground; protect the crown from winter wet. Its published mature height and spread are both in the 0.1–0.5 m range, so leave room for a low, spreading outline. ## Maintenance In early spring, cut back the old flowered stems. Use a free-draining site and avoid persistently wet winter soil. The RHS describes propagation from softwood cuttings in spring.