PlantFiles: Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis

I have two second year plants in pots, and they are more like bushes. (I'll have to plant them in the ground pretty soon). The smell is divine and the taste is beautiful. They don't like a lot of water, but other than that they're trouble free.

I have one big old established plant. It blooms from January until about May, and hummingbirds and bees visit it. It is about 4 feet high and 6 feet wide. I prune it lightly about twice a year to keep it in shape. It gets no fertilizer or water and looks great.

I have another about 2 years old. It is still only about a foot high.

To me, rosemary is one of the most beautiful and useful plants. I like the smell of the bruised leaves very much and rub the leaves between my fingers whenever I'm near this plant. The flowers are so dainty and airy that they greatly enhance the plant's appeal when they are present. Rosemary will never have enough of sunlight and heat and grows very fast if provided with the latter.
I grow my rosemary bush against the whitewashed wall of our toilet in good, loamy alkaline soil. It receives a bit of shade from an apple-tree, but only for a few hours in the summer. Has never lost a limb to cold.
I'm greatly fond of Mediterranean plants, especially those that are associated with Biblical realia or Greek myth, so if anyone wants to have a symbol of those times in their yard, they should plant a rosemary bush.

I've grown several rosemarys outside in Zone 6B for several years. They generally overwinter fine with some mulch for protection. Occasionally one will die after a hard winter.

I was given an 8" rosemary (trimmed to resemble a Christmas tree) as a housewarming gift in November 2005. I planted it in the back yard the following spring & it's doing great!

After a year I trimmed it & rooted the cuttings & have planted them along the fence to form a hedge. At last count there were 49 plants in what will one day be a beautiful hedge & the original plant is about 3' tall & growing vigorously. I tried several different rooting methods & found that simply placing them in a jar of water works best.

i would rate this as a zone 6b plant. i have one that is still green, and it is well into jan. prob. even hardier as a die back plant.

As welsherblady said, rosemary is excellent when used in abundance on lamb. I find it is also good on steak and as an addition to meat drippings and soups. It can grow to enormous sizes in a matter of years. It took about two years for ours to grow to a size that is big enough to supply plenty of rosemary for the whole family.

No garden is complete without this fragrant shrub. Planted two a couple years back - one in the ground and one in a pot. The one in the ground took off and looks great and the one in the pot has thinner leaves and a thinner appearance and is also less fragrant.

Ironically, the thin spindly one is covered in flowers, but the one in the ground has never flowered. Some plants do need to be a little root bound or crowded to flower properly (african violets, kalanchoe) so this could be a factor.

Rosemary is a great substitute for white sage as it has the same cleansing properties. To make a smudge stick, simply cut about a dozen or so 6-inch stems of good quality and lay out in the house to air dry. Then, bundle together and tie lightly with 100% cotton thread. The scent is invigorating and it will perk up your mood - also it is less intense than sage and won't leave your home smelling like a campfire for days afterwards. =]

Always remember to exercise caution when burning incense of any kind - NEVER leave unattended.

This is a super easy to propagate from cuttings. I love the scent of it. I have had rosemary for years. But none of mine have ever bloomed. I use a lot of compost to fertilize. I don't really like to use chemical fertilizers. Are there any organic gardeners out there that might be able to tell me why mine never blooms???

Have grown this plant outdoors it made it over winter.In a mulched bed no other protection.I hope it makes it again.
It is a very attractive and usefull plant.

I have grown Rosemary as a Bonsai for approx 2 years now. EZ to grow plant, & looks allot like an evergreen.

I just bought a small rosemary plant today. I love the fragrance. I plan to keep in a pot and put outdoors for summer-I am in zone 5. How big does it grow in a pot? Does it need a lot of sunlight in winter? Also I pinched it back for the winter. I love many herbs and have added this one to my collection.

Rosemary grows well in the San Joaquin Valley, both in rural and urban settings. Used extensively in city landscaping, i.e. island plantings, etc. Drought tolerance makes it an ideal plant for this valley, as well as a delightful culinary herb.

I have always loved growing rosemaries. At one time we had a hedge on both sides of the walk-way in our backyard and some of the plants were nearly as tall as I.

Where we are living now, we have two in the ground and one in a pot. They all seem to be doing well. The one in the pot is in full bloom at this time.

This is one transplanted from the previous location. None of the other transplants took kindly to being moved.

There's an old wive's tale that goes something along the lines of "As the rosemary grows, so grows the woman of the house's authority." My rosemary bush, purchased five years ago as a 4" pot sized plant, is now a four foot tall, five foot wide monster. My husband keeps eyeing it suspiciously every time he picks up his chainsaw. ;)

I grow R. officinalis, an herb that I purchase annually. The Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides) of our white sandy scrubs has no scent to its leaves.

Although I don't grow it I do find it growing wild on sandy ridges, weedy dunes, and upland pine barrens and scrubs throughout Florida. I use it in soups, sauces, and sprinkled lightly when dried with other herbs and papaya does wonders for cooking oily and/or bland tasting fish.

Rosemary can be grown from seed sown indoors, but it will take at least a year to grow to a sizeable plant. Named cultivars will not come true from seed.

Prostrate Rosemary is one of the most fragrant plants to use in the entranceway, it tolerates some foot traffic (although I recommend not using any planted this way as a culinary source).

I have 3 rosemary plants: 2 small babies and 1 medium sized baby, and I love all 3 of them. I have them growing in terra cota pots, and they are so cute in their Christmas dresses! I bought some small snowflake ornaments and some small fake flowers to dress them up like the floral theme of the rest of the decorations. I rate this plant a solid 10 for usefulness in cooking and decorating!

Our Rosemary is field grown as well as in pots for cutting and drying for culinary ,medicinal and cosmetic purposes.
A sprig of Rosemary cooked with Lamb adds a delicious taste.Rosemary made into a jelly/preserve can be added to many meals to add an interesting flavour.
Rosemary is said to have a calming and uplifting effect- can be added to bath water in a net bag for this purpose.Rosemary Oil is reputed to encourage hair growth and to be good as a massage for the scalp.
*Rosemary is the Herb of Remembrance*.

We are in Zone 7-b and have used Rosemary (primarily ARP and Tuscan Blue) extensively as a landscape shrub. It is tolerant of sun conditions from full sun to partial shade and also demonstrates a good deal of drought tolerance. It is a fast grower and propagates easily from cuttings. To date we have not had to provide it with any winter protection (our plantings were made with a southern exposure to our house). It is one of our favorite plants; we highly recommend it.

Our success has been best with the erect varieties; trailing and semi-trailing varieties do not seem to be as cold hardy.

Rosemary is an attractive evergreen shrub with grayish-green, pine needle-like aromatic leaves. Pale blue flowers last through spring and summer in a warm, humid environment. Plant in well drained, alkaline soil; can be grown successfully in a container. Used in cooking as well as for medicinal and ornamental purposes.