Cultivation of Rosemary
The information that follows is excerpted from a longer post: The Ultimate Guide to Rosemary. For additional information about Rosemary such as its use in cooking, medicinal uses, or its uses through history, please click HERE to access the complete original post. Other individual sections are listed below:
Rosemary is easy to grow from cuttings or purchased plants, but difficult if you try to grow it from seed. Packaged seeds don't do well at all. When you plant it in your garden, make sure you put it in its permanent spot as it doesn't transplant well. I know this from experience as I have killed several perfectly beautiful rosemary bushes by trying to move them to another spot in my own garden!
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| Young Rosemaries in Pots |
Basically, rosemary is a very long-lived plant that has established itself in certain conditions. If you suddenly or significantly change those conditions, the plant doesn't adjust. Once it is doing well for you, don't change anything (for fifty years or so!) and rosemary will continue to "live long and prosper", becoming a true show-piece in your garden or landscape.
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| Big Showpiece Rosemary |
I like to start rosemary from cuttings. I snip of a two or three inch piece from the end of a stem and just stick it in a vase of water. Be patient! Rosemary takes about 3 months to develop roots in water. (This gives you an idea of how slow-growing this herb really is!) As long as the stem cutting stays soft and the leaves stay green, nature is doing its job. Once the roots start, new growth on top will start to appear. Allow it to grow in the vase for a few more months after the roots sprout. Then the new plant can be transplanted into a pot or its permanent spot in the garden--wherever you plan to leave it for the rest of its life. I have one growing in my kitchen right now that I clipped last June from a new plant that needed shaping when I placed it in the garden. It is February now and I will probably leave it in its vase until this June and then plant it out where I will keep it.
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| My Baby Rosemary |
Rosemary is an excellent candidate for propagation by layering. Layering is a method of propagation used on woody-stemmed herbs like upright thyme, lavender, sage, rosemary, winter savory, tarragon, and southernwoods. For a complete explanation of layering, please click HERE.
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| Rosemary in a Pot on a Porch |
Rosemary is native to the hills along the Mediterranean, mostly in Portugal and Spain, and mainly on dry, rocky, warm cliffs and slopes, but today is widely grown due to its ease of cultivation. Rosemary will grow just about anywhere, except where it gets very cold in the winter. In the North, it is a tender perennial and must be taken in during the winter months. I love it because I live in the desert, and rosemary is one plant that will flourish in a desert setting or xeriscape garden. It will withstand drought and has survived in my garden when all other plants around it have been burned to a crisp by the hot desert sun. In formal herb gardens, rosemary also does very well, as long as the soil is alkaline, light, dry, and chalky, as well as a bit sandy and well-drained. One of the fun properties of rosemary is that it is woody and so very sturdy, which allows it to be pruned into various topiary shapes in a formal garden setting.
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| Rosemary Topiary |
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| Rosemary Tree |
If your soil is acidic, apply lime to it to make it more alkaline. Wood ashes, crushed eggshells, or crushed seashells added to the soil every two to three years will also increase the alkalinity of your soil. Rosemary roots can easily develop root rot, so well-drained soil is essential. Just be sure not to underwater rosemary, as it will dry out very easily, too. This is especially true with potted rosemary plants. With all rosemaries, mist the leaves regularly. Most rosemary is best grown outdoors in the garden in zones 8 - 10. In general, it prefers temperatures to not dip below +10 degrees F.
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| Bonsai Rosemary |
The plants will live for decades and grow quite tall and large. Average size is between 5 and 6 feet tall, if left to grow for many years. Some have even grown to 10 feet tall in some instances. They have pest-control properties for the plants around them due to the oils produced by their leaves. The plants themselves are very pest-resistant. The only insects I have ever found on mine was spider mites. I used an insect repellent spray and eliminated them. The plant recovered beautifully. Rosemary also is an effective deer-repellent, so it is good to grow if your garden is regularly visited by these critters.
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| Reaching for the Sky! |
You may have to experiment during several growing cycles to find the perfect combination of conditions and position for a rosemary plant to do well. Once you find it, though, rosemary will give you lots of joy, beauty, and flavor for many years to come!
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| Rosemary Hanging to Dry |
Please leave any questions or comments in the area below--let me know about your experiences with growing (or not growing!) rosemary!
Peace and Love Always,
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| Creeping Rosemary Over a Wall |
Sources:
Bremness, Leslie. RD Home Handbook: Herbs. Pleasantville: Reader's Digest Association, 1990. Print.
Brown, Deni. The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1995. Print.
Clevely, Andi, and Katherine Richmond. The Complete Book of Herbs. New York: Smithmark, 1994. Print.
Cunnningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1992. Print.
Ehrlich, Steven D. "Rosemary." University of Maryland Medical Center. University of Maryland Medical Center, 6 July 2014. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
Gips, Kathleen. Flora's Dictionary: The Victorian Language of Herbs and Flowers . Chagrin Falls: TM Publications, 1995. Print.
Grieve, M. "Rosemary." Botanical.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
Kowalchik, Claire, and William H. Hylton, eds. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs . Emmaus: Rodale, 1987. Print.
Kruger, Anna. An Illustrated Guide to Herbs. Stamford: Longmeadow, 1993. Print.
Nordqvist, Joseph. "Rosemary: Health Benefits, Precautions, Drug Interactions." Http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/. Medical News Today, 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
"Rosemary." Web MD. Ed. Therapeutic Research Faculty. Therapeutic Research Faculty, 2009. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
Shaudys, Phyllis. The Pleasure of Herbs. Pownal: Storey Communications, 1986. Print.
Shaudys, Phyllis V. Herbal Treasures. Pownal: Storey Communications, 1990. Print.
Photo Credits:
Cultivation of Rosemary Header Image: Photo Credit: background rosemary on a wooden table by 17yxo8
Young Rosemaries in Pots: Photo Credit: Rosemary plants in a greenhouse by jahcottontail43
Big Showpiece Rosemary: Photo Credit: Rosemary by Janeyhenning via Attribution Engine
My "Baby" Rosemary: Photo Credit: Angela Fox-Thompson
Rosemary in a Pot on a Porch: Photo Credit: Rosemary by Katherine.a via Attribution Engine
Rosemary Topiary:
Photo credit: elixir b via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Rosemary Tree:
Photo credit: holycalamity via Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA
Bonsai Rosemary: Photo Credit: Img_3210 by Flippybits via Attribution Engine
Reaching for the Sky:
Photo credit: jeremytarling via VisualHunt / CC BY-SA
Rosemary Hanging to Dry:
Photo credit: Nefi via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA
Creeping Rosemary Over Wall:
Photo credit: BigEd Stites via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA
Cultivation of Rosemary Header Image: Photo Credit: background rosemary on a wooden table by 17yxo8
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