It that herb oregano, marjoram or cilantro?

I should be ashamed to be writing this column. As a member of the Sandusky Valley Herb Society, I am supposed to be capable of recognizing, planting, growing, harvesting and using herbs. I can be successful on most of those tasks, but I have a fatal flaw. I cannot tell oregano, marjoram and cilantro apart. When I start new plants from seed in the dead of winter, I try to label them legibly, but this year I moved before it was time to plant anything out, and my system fell apart. Once the seedlings were in the ground, I dug out my permanent labels made of broken pieces of terracotta pots marked with a black enamel pen, and did my best. Which was not good enough. It probably would be a bad idea to use the wrong one in a recipe, so this column is an effort to write down all I know about the three herbs and to look for differences. Marjoram is classified as a tender perennial, but in this part of the country needs to be treated as an annual. It is a bushy shrub-like plant which produces small white or pink flowers. The leaves are small, oval and grey-green, velvety to the touch. Many recipes include marjoram in their ingredients for sauce and salads, and it is excellent with lamb dishes. As an herb of Mediterranean origin, marjoram does not need much water, and is not picky about soil. It can be grown from seed or cuttings. Oregano is one of the principal herbs used on pizza as well as in other Italian sauces. It is a hardy perennial and sports stems up to two feet in length, preferring a sunny location. The leaves are small and vary in size according to variety and location. The flowers are small and white. A plant grown in rich soil will have a stronger flavor. Propagation is by root or stem cuttings. The plants can be cut back for winter, but birds enjoy any remaining seed heads. For culinary use the leaves can be dried in the usual ways, but oregano is one of the few herbs that can also be dried outside in the sun. Cilantro is an annual with slender, erect stems, and the leaves are finely divided. It can grow to three-feet tall in ideal conditions with light, dry and warm soil. Cilantro shares with the two herbs above a dislike for too much water. Flowers are lavender in color, and the small, flat heads appear late in June. The seeds of cilantro are known as coriander, and are used as a spice. Sometimes this name is given to the entire plant. It is a good herb to include in the garden, as it attracts a wide variety of pollinating insects to the area. and can be easily grown from seed in the spring. The leaves are used in salsa and guacamole. While checking my information in this column, I found the following quote from the Encyclopedia of Herbs by Elizabeth Ortiz. "Marjoram and oregano are so closely related that they do not need to be classified separately." After I went to all that trouble! Now, I just have to look out for the different leaves on cilantro and it won't matter about the other two. An herb garden is never neat and tidy after the first few weeks, but at least I will start things in a more organized manner next spring. Janet DelTurco is a local gardener and a graduate of the Ohio State University Master Gardener program. Contact her at: janetdelturco@yahoo.com