How To Grow Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus)

What Is Rosemary

What is Rosemary? Rosemary, binomial name Salvia Rosmarinus, is a woody, evergreen, perennial herb that is actually a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae. Although in hardiness zones 3 through to 7 rosemary is grown as an annual or grown indoors.

It is a highly aromatic shrub with needle like leaves and produces blue, purple, white or pink nectar-rich flowers that are fantastic for attracting pollinators.

Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean but has been cultivated throughout human history and mention of it can be found in records from as far back as 5000BC.

Varieties Of Rosemary

Due to the extensive cultivation of Rosemary throughout history, there are an abundance of varieties out there but all can be categorized under two main types of either upright shrubs or those that grow as ground cover.

Upright Shrub;

Arp grows to about 4 feet high and is a cold hardy variety with grey – green leaves and bright blue flowers.

Spice Islands grows to about 4 feet high with full-flavoured leaves and dark blue flowers.

Tuscan Blue can grow up to about 5 feet in height with highly aromatic leaves and dark blue flowers.

Gorizia grows to about 5 feet in height and spreads out just as wide. The leaves are a relatively bright green and the flowers are pale blue.

Ground Cover;

Prostratus grows low and wide with highly aromatic leaves and pale blue flowers.

Severn Sea grows low and wide with arching branches and deep violet flowers.

Huntington Carpet produces a really dense ground cover with pale blue flowers.

These are just a handful of some of the more common varieties of rosemary available so the list is by no means exhaustive.

Planting Rosemary

Rosemary is a very robust, drought tolerant plant which once established will absolutely thrive in well drained soil and full sun. Ensure that you prepare your soil correctly and you shouldn’t have any issues.

It’s a fantastic candidate for container growing and if you’re not a fan of pruning then keeping it in containers may be the best option for you.

Established Rosemary plants are easy to source from any good garden store and are usually pretty cheap so this is a really easy option but they can also be grown from seeds or cuttings.

From Seed – Rosemary can be grown from seed but it is not the approach I would recommend and is certainly not how I do it. Rosemary seeds have quite a low germination rate and even those that do survive need some care and mountains of patience to get them through to a healthy plant. The process is painfully slow!

From Cuttings – there are a couple of methods for growing rosemary from cuttings but this one is so simple and so effective, it is the only one I use to grow new plants.

You need an established and healthy rosemary bush and you need to find a healthy looking stem that’s about 8 to 10 inches in length.

Cut the stem near to it’s base and then remove the lower leaves so that you are left with 4 inches of bare stem.

Now, using a sharp blade, such as a razor or craft knife remove the outer layer of the stem along those 4 inches.

Fill a 6 to 7 inch (1 gallon) plant pot with a good quality potting mix and then just push the bare stem down into the soil until it is up to just below the first leaves. You can dip the stem into rooting hormone first if you like although it’s not essential.

Keep the pot somewhere sheltered like a potting shed or windowsill and don’t let the soil dry out. After about three or four weeks, give the plant a gentle tug and you should be able to feel that it has established some roots. Periodically tip your pot over and check inside to see how the root growth is going and once you have some solid roots established then transplant the rosemary on to a larger pot.

The cuttings method works brilliantly and is the method that many commercial growers use. In fact, if you want to start selling rosemary plants then this method is ideal for producing multiple strong, healthy plants very quickly and almost for free.

Caring For Rosemary

Rosemary plants require very little in the way of care and maintenance. One of your main concerns is going to be keeping the plant in check as they have the ability to take over so if you’re planning on planting out in a permanent position then you’re going to have to be prepared to do some pruning and ideally you should do this after flowering.

Immature plants can be susceptible to waterlogged and cold soil so ensure the soil is well drained and ideally keep them in a pot for the first year and then plant out if you want to.

Fertilizer is by no means essential when growing rosemary but I tend to feed my plants with a homemade organic liquid fertilizer about once a month and it is certainly not necessary to feed any more frequently than this.

Rosemary Pests And Diseases

As already stated above, Rosemary is an extremely robust plant and as such it is not overly susceptible to diseases or pests but there are some of the general pests and diseases to keep an eye out for.

Aphids – We’re all familiar with these widespread pests and they can be dealt with exactly the same way on Rosemary as any other plant. Jut mix up some soap water and spray on the plant, ensuring you get the undersides of the leaves.

However, my favourite method for dealing with aphids is the natural method of simply collecting some ladybugs / ladybirds and setting them free to wreak havoc.

Powdery Mildew – This tends to be an issue during warm (60–80 F or 16-27C) periods with humid or generally wet conditions. You can help prevent powdery mildew by planting or keeping your plants in full sun and avoiding shaded conditions.

If your plant has developed an issue then either spray with an organic fungicide or make a homemade mixture of baking soda and water and use that to spray the plant.

Uses For Rosemary

Rosemary is a wonderfully versatile herb which can be used in a whole heap of different ways.

The amazingly aromatic leaves work perfectly in cooking, condiments, teas, around the house and in homemade cosmetics. The possibilities are almost endless but I’ll list some of my favourite uses;

Cooking With Rosemary

Bursting with flavour and aroma, Rosemary is an excellent herb for cooking with. Whether using fresh or dried just be careful not to go overboard as it really does pack a punch.

Lamb is a classic pairing with rosemary and for good reason but it also works amazingly well in roasted potatoes

Rosemary Condiments

You can use rosemary in a variety of condiments such as infused olive oil but a particular favourite of mine is rosemary infused salt and it’s so easy to make.

1 Part Rosemary

4 Parts Salt (I use a local sea salt)

Take your fresh rosemary and blitz it in a food processor with 1 part of the salt. Once it’s nice and fine, mix it in with the rest of the salt and that’s it.

Rosemary Body Products

Being rich in antioxidants, rosemary works fantastically in homemade skincare products. It is also frequently used in natural deodorants, freshens breath and can be used to make some amazing salt or sugar scrubs.

Even if you don’t want to harvest and use your rosemary for a particular purpose, it’s great to have in your garden for attracting pollinators or planting along pathways so that you brush against the leaves, releasing those wonderful aromas everytime you walk past.

Planting Guide	Information
POSITION:	Full sun
SOIL:	Well drained
PLANTING:	Grow from cuttings. Can be grown in pots or planted out.
FROST TOLERANT?	Yes
HEAT TOLERANT?	Yes
FEEDING:	No feeding required if planted out. Occasional, general liquid fertilizer if in pots.
PLANT GROUP:	A perennial herb and part of the Lamiaceae family
PESTS AND DISEASES:	No real pest or disease issues
HARVESTING:	Suitable for year round harvesting