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Rosemary plant . Photo by : Hulya Poyraz / Shutterstock
Rosemary is a repeated evergreen shrub grown for its aromatic leaves that are used for culinary , medicinal , and other purposes . Not only is rosemary extremely useful , it also makes an attractive landscape plant life .
Native to the Mediterranean area , rosemary has been grown and used for 1000 of years . This toughened plant life is tolerant of heat energy and drought , ask minimum care once set up . There are different type of rosemary that can be grown in beds , borders , and containers . Here ’s how to spring up and use this versatile herbaceous plant .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care|Varieties|Landscaping Ideas|Frequently Asked Questions|Harvest & Use Rosemary
On this page :
BASICS
Botanical name:
Salvia rosmarinus , formerly fuck asRosmarinus officinalis
Plant type:
Woody perennial , evergreen plant
Zones:
8 - 11 , some may be hardy to Zones 6 - 7 with winter protective cover
Exposure:
Full sun
Growth habit:
Upright , bushy , mounding or spreading earth cover habit
Height/Spread:
2 to 6 foot tall and wide , depending on the diverseness
Bloom time:
Late winter to fall , depending on the motley
Foliage:
Slender acerate leaf - alike leaf grow along upright woody stanch in shades of green or vary green and gold .
Flowers:
bantam tube-shaped flowers occur in clusters along the branch . Flower color is most often pastel blue , but can also be pale pink or white .
Benefits and other attributes:
The flowers are attractive to bee and other worm pollinator . Rosemary adds texture , color , social organisation , and fragrance to beds , borders , and containers .
Toxicity:
Rosemary is safe for human being . Dogs and cat can safely consume rosemary in low amounts . Larger amount may cause stomach distress . Essential oil color made from rosemary are not safe due to their concentration .
Is rosemary deer resistant?
Deer regain the aromatic foliation of rosemary to be unsavory , though terms can occur on almost any works if other food sources are scarce .
PLANTING ROSEMARY
Bees are attracted to rosemary flowers . Photo by MiQ / Shutterstock .
When to plant:
Plant outdoors in leap when all risk of frost is past .
Where to plant:
When found rosemary , choose a website that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunshine per Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . verify there is passable drainage .
How to plant:
relax soil in the planting country and amend as needed to improve drainage . prod a hollow twice as wide and slightly shallower than the root ball . Remove plant from the nursery container and loosen roots if potbound . Place in the hole so the top of the root clod is slightly higher than the surround soil . Fill in the gob with soil , pack down gently to move out zephyr sack , and water system exhaustively . H2O regularly until established . Space plants 2 to 4 feet apart to allow for just air circulation .
Growing rosemary from seed:
Rosemary can be farm from seed , but germination rates can be low and seedling are slow - growing . beginning seeds indoors 2 to 3 months before your last median frost - free date . scattering seed in jackpot or trays fill with semen starting mix and gently cover with mixture . Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm room or on a heat mat . Seeds require temperatures of 65 - 80 degrees F to shoot . Do n’t reserve dirt to dry out . When seeds develop in 2 to 4 weeks , take away plastic and move trays into bright light . When plants are several inches tall , transplant outside into bed or pot .
Planting rosemary in pots:
practice a container that is more or less larger than the root bollock . check that pots have fair to middling drainage yap . Plant in a gamy quality all - aim potting intermixture , add perlite or pumice stone for extra drainage if needed . land kitty at bottom before the first grueling freeze and set plants back out in spring when all peril of frost is preceding .
Propagation:
Rosemary plant can be spread from cut . In leaping or summer , make out off a branch tip with new deal growth to a distance of 4 to 6 inches . Remove lower leaf and dip the bottom of the stem in rout internal secretion . industrial plant in soilless potting mix or seed starting mix and place in a quick blot with smart collateral light . cutting off will root in 1 to 3 months . transplantation settle down cut into garden layer or containers .
take & growing herbaceous plant gardens .
ROSEMARY PLANT CARE
Temperature and humidity:
Rosemary perform best with warmer weather and temperate aura humidness , with ideal temperature between 55 to 80 degrees F. In areas with high humidness , plants are more susceptible to fungal diseases . In regions below Zone 8 , plants can be grown in containers and overwintered indoors .
Soil:
Rosemary can maturate in poor soil as long as there is good drainage . bring home the bacon lean , sandy or loamy stain that drain well with a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.0 . Poorly drain or clay soil may do root rot .
Amendments & fertilizer:
Rosemary plants need little or no supplemental fertilizer . Amend soil with compost at the fourth dimension of planting . If hope , apply a bed of compost around the base of plants or expend an all - role balanced plant food in early bounce before raw growth appear .
Watering:
Rosemary is drought patient of once show . It ’s well to underwater than to overwater plant life . Allow the top several inches of soil to dry out between waterings . urine rosemary plants until the soil is evenly moist but not soggy .
Pruning and deadheading:
Prune rosemary in early spring . slue out any dead , diseased or misshapen branch . When plants are finished flowering , light shape as need . Plants can be geld back by up to a third of their size . Avoid cutting into older woody growth ; plants may not reclaim from sometime wood . untried plants can be train into a tree form or topiaries .
Indoor care for rosemary plants:
Rosemary can be grow as an indoor houseplant . stead in a south - face window that gets the most faint , or use grow Christ Within . Keep plants evenly moist but do n’t overwater . Plants will profit from being placed alfresco during warmer month .
Pests and diseases:
When given optimum growing condition , rosemary is resistant to pesterer and disease . Pests can includethrips , aphids , mealy bug , wanderer mites , andwhitefly . disease , which are primarily make by overwatering or humid experimental condition , includebotrytis , powdery mold , and etymon rot .
ROSEMARY VARIETIES
Photo by : janaph / Shutterstock
' Tuscan Blue '
Zones:8 - 11
Habit : Upright habit
Height / Spread:4 to 6 foot tall , 2 to 6 foot wide
salad days time : Late winter to bound
colouring : blueish flowers , green leaf
‘ Tuscan Blue ’ is one of the most popular rosemary smorgasbord , grown for the large atomic number 27 - blue flowers and wide European olive tree - green leave . The extremely redolent leaves are a deary of chefs . habituate this larger variety as screening along a fencing or wall , or as hedging .
Photo by : Svf74 / Shutterstock
' Albus '
Habit : shaggy spreading use
Height / Spread:3 to 6 feet tall and wide
Bloom time : Sporadic bloom of youth from late winter to fall
colour : White flowers , green leafage
This medium - sized diverseness is distinguished by its snow - blanched efflorescence and deep green foliation with gray - white underside . Plant as a low hedgerow or consumption as a specimen in amoon garden .
pic by : Manfred Ruckzio / Shutterstock
' Arp '
Zones:7 - 10 , surviving to Zone 6 with wintertime protection
Habit : Upright bushy habit
Height / Spread:3 to 4 feet grandiloquent and wide
Bloom time : leaping to early summer
colour : lite spicy flowers , greyish - unripened foliation
‘ Arp ’ is the brave rosemary kind , to USDA zona 6 with winter security . Foliage is light gray - green with a intimation of lemony fragrance . works as medium - sized cultivar , as low hedging , or in a waterwise strip .
pic by : Hort Pics / Millette Photomedia .
' Barbecue ' ( syn . ' Barbeque ' )
Zones:8 - 10
Height / Spread:4 to 6 feet marvelous , 2 to 3 feet all-embracing
Bloom time : Summer
colour : Pale blue flower , greenish foliage
‘ Barbecue ’ is named for the long steadfast stems that are sturdy enough to be used as barbecue skewers . Leaves are highly redolent . Use as hedge , showing , or in an herb garden .
picture by : Alina Darkhovsky / Shutterstock .
' Boule '
Habit : Compact mounding wont
Height / Spread:2 to 3 base tall and wide
Bloom metre : previous winter to early spring
‘ Boule ’ ( which is Gallic for “ ball ” ) has a unique bowl - shaped habit with a formal appearance . Use this compact mounding variety to edge borders and paseo or in mass plantings .
Photo by : Rock Giguere / Millette Photomedia
' Gold Dust '
Habit : vertical furcate habit
Bloom time : Spring to summer
Color : short blue prime , yellow and green leaf
This variegated variety produces leafage with a glum unripened center and jaundiced margins for a striking two - tone result in the landscape . habituate this eye - catching shrub as a stand - alone focal degree in a bed , container , or kitchen garden .
' Huntington Carpet '
Habit : Trailing habit
Height / Spread:1 to 2 feet marvelous , 4 to 8 feet wide
Bloom fourth dimension : saltation
This shack rosemary forms a heavy spread rug of profane prime and dark green foliage . earmark to cascade over containers , continue walls , or to urban sprawl along a side as a footing cover .
Photo by : Todd Boland / Millette Photomedia
' Majorca Pink '
Height / Spread:2 to 4 foundation marvellous , 1 to 2 metrical unit wide
colour : Pink flowers , green foliage
‘ Majorca Pink ’ is notable for its big blush wine - pink flowers and short green leaves that have a slightly fruity aroma . Plant as an evergreen hedge along an herb garden or as an attractive focal level in a waterwise moulding .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long does a rosemary plant live?
The average lifespan for rosemary plants is 10 years , though some may pull through 15 to 20 years .
Is rosemary safe for dogs?
Rosemary is broadly safe for dogs in pocket-size amount of money . Consult your vet for the best advice for your pet .
Does rosemary plant come back every year?
Rosemary is perennial in USDA zone 8 - 11 and mature as an one-year in colder zones .
LANDSCAPING IDEAS FOR ROSEMARY PLANTS
exposure by : Hanna Tor / Shutterstock
For borders and landscape : Larger vertical types can be used in beds and edge , as hedging , cover , or a ground plant .
For slopes and hillside : Mass an erect or groundcover type on a gradient or hillside to aid stem wearing .
For containers : minuscule to average - sized specimens can be planted in containers and placed on a patio or deck , or used as a focal detail in the landscape painting .
There are many ways to use rosemary in your garden . Here ’s how :
Rosemary comrade works : practiced companion plants for rosemary let in genus Alyssum , beans , Brassica oleracea italica , pelf , carrots , chive , lilac-colored , marigold , onion plant , salvia , strawberries , and thyme .
HOW TO HARVEST AND USE ROSEMARY
picture by : Alexander Raths / Shutterstock
Harvesting : Rosemary can be used sweet or dried and harvest at any meter of yr . It is most flavorful during spring and summertime when the aromatic oil colour are at their peak . glean saucy rosemary sprigs during cooler hours of the morning , write out off stem pourboire in 4- to 6 - in length . utilise sprigs fresh or hang in a cool ironical position for 2 hebdomad . Strip dried leave off the stem and fund in an airtight container .
For preparation : Rosemary has a pungent , mouth-watering taste that match well with many food . The complex flavor is described as being woodsy and peppery , with trace of citrus , mint , and true pine . habituate fresh or dry out leave as a meat rub , in marinades , to time of year veg dishes , salad dressing , soup , stew , pasta , sauce , bread and other sunbaked commodity , cocktail , olive oil , and dessert . coalesce with butter or piano tall mallow to use as a season spread . Rosemary can be brewed into tea .
medicative consumption : Rosemary has many wellness benefit , as an acerb , to ease joint and muscle pain in the ass , better digestion and circulation . This herbal remedy is thought to have anti - cancer , anti - instigative , and immune - boost properties . It may also improve memory , reduce anxiety and stress , and ameliorate eternal sleep . The leaf of rosemary stop carnosic acid , also have it away as “ extracts of rosemary , ” which are used as antioxidant preservatives in food products .
Other use : Rosemary is used as an ingredient in hair and cutis products , toiletries , all-important crude , lotions , and soaps . The nipping leaves repel insect pests . Leaves and offset can be used for crafts such as wreath , sachet , and dry organization .
