How To Grow And Care For Rosemary

Practical, hardy, beautiful, versatile and delicious. That’s not a group of words you’d often see together, but when we’re talking about rosemary, each and every one of them is on the money.

What you need to know about rosemary

Name: rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis and cvrs).

Plant type: evergreen shrub, mostly with distinctly upright branching.

Height: generally around 1–1.5m, but can grow to as tall as 2m+

Foliage: small, 3cm long by 3mm wide. Deep green above, silver-white underneath. Leaf edges distinctly curved. Strongly aromatic.

Climate: warm and cool temperate. Will only survive with care if temperatures drop below –10˚C. May struggle with humidity in the tropics and sub-tropics.

Soil: must be free-draining. Can tolerate alkaline soil of pH 7.5 and higher.

Position: full sun. Protection from cold winds. Good air circulation in humid areas.

Flowering: tiny flowers in various shades of bluey-whites can be borne in abundance from late winter, well into summer.

Feeding: little required; give an annual application of controlled-release fertiliser.

Watering: drought-tolerant, however will perform better if watered during very dry periods.

Appearance and characteristics of rosemary

Rosemary is a hardy and handsome shrub that is originally from the Mediterranean region. It has excellent textural form, with a slender upright branching habit on elegantly long stems that are cloaked with tiny leaves.

You’ll find a range of forms available, including groundcover varieties, although some of these aren’t as good when used in cooking.

When in flower, rosemary can look quite stunning, and the nectar-rich flowers are a favourite of many pollinators, including honey bees and a range of native bees.

Rosemary has the ability to survive incredibly harsh conditions. It’s often the last plant standing in a neglected herb or veggie patch, looking as happy as the day it was planted!

Most people think of rosemary as a culinary herb. This is unsurprising, as it is an essential ingredient in countless Mediterranean and European dishes. However, it also has extremely valuable medicinal properties, and is an awesome landscape plant to boot!

If your main use for your rosemary will be cooking, before selecting your variety, remove a leaf, crush it and take a deep sniff. Some varieties are higher in the essential oils you want, while others have a strong camphor-like aroma that isn’t ideal in food.

undefined

Uses for rosemary

Rosemary can be grown for a variety of uses:

Essential addition to the herb garden.
Can be used for low hedging or large borders, as it takes well to regular pruning.
Excellent in pots.
Very useful in sustainable and low-maintenance gardens.
Tolerates neglect and harsh, hot dry conditions.
A range of sizes, forms and flower colours are suitable for different uses.

How to plant and grow rosemary

Your rosemary plant will do best in the following conditions:

Full sun: the more sun and heat, the more intense the aroma and flavour will be.
Free-draining soil is a must, but rosemary is adaptable to virtually any soil except wet or waterlogged.
Prefers slightly drier soil.
Will tolerate very high, alkaline soils with a pH of 7.5 or greater.
Can tolerate windy conditions, but will need shelter from cold wind.

Planting tips

Rosemary doesn’t require any soil improvements at planting time. It’s ideal in the centre or rear of a herb bed, but make sure it’s planted with other Mediterranean herbs that also like dry conditions.

Caring for rosemary

Rosemary is extremely easy-care, though it may require some additional water during very dry periods. You can lightly fertilise with a controlled-release fertiliser in spring, but the best flavour comes from plants that are grown hard.

How and when to prune rosemary

Rosemary takes to pruning and shaping very well. This can be done with hedging shears. If you are using your rosemary regularly for cooking, this constant tip-pruning will keep the plant nice and bushy.

If required, plants can be pruned back to recover their bushiness. Don’t cut back by more than around a quarter, though, and don't cut into bare, leafless wood or it may not reshoot.

Growing rosemary from cuttings

Rosemary will grow very easily from cuttings. You can follow the usual techniques of planting out cuttings into propagating mix, but semi-hardwood tip cuttings around 10–15cm long will readily develop roots if left in a glass of clean water on a sunny windowsill. Just carefully untangle the roots, and plant into small pots once new leaves have started to shoot.

Growing rosemary from seed

Rosemary will often produce seed, but germination is very slow. Sow collected seeds in a sandy propagating mix and keep warm and moist.

Safety tip

After applying fertiliser, delay harvesting for a few days and rinse well before cooking and eating. If using products to deal with pests, diseases or weeds, always read the label, follow the instructions carefully and wear suitable protective equipment. Store all garden chemicals out of the reach of children and pets.