Rosemary yields many benefits, from flavor for cooking, to antiseptic properties for cleaning, and a myriad in between. Growing a rosemary plant provides you ongoing access to this magnificent herb.
But how to grow rosemary? asks my brother.
Rosemary heralds from a warm sunny clime, keep that in mind as you select your spot for cultivation.
Some things to know:
1. rosemary seed is difficult to grow - the germination rate is low, and the seedlings are very slow growing. If you are patient and optimistic then, go for it.
2. rosemary propagates most successfully from cuttings
If you have an established rosemary plant, take cuttings and root it up (I will discuss cuttings in a future post, otherwise, try here:
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/starting-flowers-from-cutting/
If you don't have a plant established yet, then pick up a rosemary plant from a garden center, nursery, or local gardener.
Once you have a healthy rosemary, choose a site suited to its growth.
Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs asserts that rosemary does not thrive in a container because of the needs of the root to expand and remain dry. Since a container is enclosed, there is little space for the roots to reach outward, and if the soil holds water, the conditions are too damp for the roots. If you must use a container, choose a large container and use especially well draining soil, and watch the soil is not too long between waterings that the plant suffers a lack of water.
Rather, plant rosemary, which is a perennial in zones 8 - 10, in the ground. Choose a sunny location. Rosemary will tolerate full sun, in fact prefers full sun. Rosemary, however, does not like shady spots. Rosemary does not transplant well, again think of those spreading roots, so plant it in its 'forever home' directly from the first.
Rosemary is tolerant of a wide range of soil types; though, not a spot where drainage is especially slow, or water tends to collect. Remember the challenges posed by wet or slow draining soil in a container? Same principle, in the ground. If the soil is acidic, "apply lime, wood ashes, crushed eggshells, or crushed seashells every two to three years" advises
Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs.
Quick reference:
- full sun
- well-drained soil
- infrequent watering unless very dry conditions
- neutral soil pH preferred
Rosemary makes an excellent companion to certain other plants. The article, "Companion Planting with Herbs: Boost Your Garden this Season with the Right Pairings of Plants", published in the Spring 2018 issue of
Herb Quarterly magazine explains that many members of the brassica family, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage, "get a boost by their proximity to rosemary" since the rosemary aroma confuses the cabbage butterfly (cabbage white) and simultaneously "repels several types of flies and beetles." However, do not "plant rosemary by squash, pumpkins, potatoes, or carrots [because rosemary] will inhibit their growth."
Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs states that rosemary will also enhance bean plants.
Works Cited
Kowalchik, Claire, and William H. Hylton. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs: Editors. Rodale Press, 1987.
Wilson, Rickie. “Companion Planting with Herbs: Boost Your Garden This Season with the Right Pairings of Plants.” Herb Quarterly, 2018, pp. 48–52.
