Rosemary

Rosemary is towards the top of my list of favorite herb plants for the home garden. It’s right up there with Bay Laurel, basil, and thymes.

This easy to maintain herb has much to offer the home gardener regardless of the type or size of your garden.

Rosemary, the Adaptable Herb Plant

Rosemary will make itself right at home anywhere from the vegetable garden to the herb bed, and can even be incorporated within flower gardens and ornamental landscapes.

Rosemary can also be grown in containers and hanging baskets making it a great plant for the patio or deck. It is a perennial, but not very hardy, so if your garden in a cold weather climate you will need to treat it as an annual or bring it indoors over the winter.

This popular herb plant is unique in that its form and leaves resemble that of a pine tree or an evergreen shrub. Rosemary leaves are dark green and shaped like small pine needles. They give off a very distinct and aromatic fragrance when crushed or rubbed between the fingers.

As an extra bonus this herb plant will produce showy blue, white, or pink flowers that cover the plant during part of the summer growing season. The flowers are edible and can be used right along with the leaves in your favorite recipes or as a garnish.

Growing Rosemary in the Garden or Containers

To grow your own Rosemary it’s easiest to purchase a young plant from a local nursery or garden center. The plants are usually multiplied by taking cuttings by layering the branches of an established plant.

Rosemary does not require any special care, especially when planted in the ground within a garden. This herb is relatively drought hardy and isn’t fussy about soil type or its fertilization requirements.

The upright rosemary plants are better suited to planting in the open garden and will produce a larger quantity of the herb for culinary use. The trailing varieties are very ornamental and great for growing in hanging baskets or containers.

The only difficult aspect of growing Rosemary is encountered by those growers in cold climates that attempt to over winter or grow the plants indoors. The plant can tolerate a moderate amount of cold weather but is temperamental when grown indoors.

They require good light when grown inside and containerized plants should be allowed to dry out slightly between watering.

Rosemary Varieties

Like basils and thymes, rosemary is offered in a wide assortment of strains and varieties. Some display an upright growth habit, capable of growing over four feet tall, while others are trailing and spread their branches closer to the ground.

Popular varieties of Rosemary include the following:

• Pink Majorca (trailing)
• Arp Rosemary (upright)
• Tuscan Blue (upright)
• Salem (upright)
• Creeping Rosemary (trailing)
• Santa Barbara (semi-upright)
• White Rosemary (upright)
• Spice Islands (upright)
• Blue Boy (dwarf/trailing)
• Miss Jessup (upright)
• Huntington Carpet (trailing)
• Collingwood (semi-upright)

Uses for Rosemary Plants

Of course rosemary is best known for its culinary uses where it is a common ingredient in a variety of dishes and recipes. For fresh use simply harvest sprigs of the herb from the plants as needed. You can also dry the herb to preserve it for future use.

Rosemary is a popular component of herbal vinegars and infused oils where the herb will impart its aroma, flavor, and a tinge of color to your favorite oils or vinegars.

Another place where Rosemary is popular is in the cosmetic industry. You can find the herb included in many hair care products, soaps, lotions, oils, and even toothpaste. Rosemary also exhibits medicinal properties and is used for ointments, teas, and essential oils.

Then there are the other ornamental uses for the gardener and landscaper. Because of the ease with which the plant can be pruned and trained, Rosemary makes a great herbal bonsai plant or topiary.