By Julie Christensen
Like most herbs that are native to the Mediterranean , rosemary(Rosemary officinalis)thrives in poor , rocky , alkaline filth and red-hot conditions . It ’s wintertime dauntless only in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 10 ; elsewhere , it ’s grow as an annual , or overwintered indoors . Even in zona 6 and 7 , it usually necessitate some winter protection . Otherwise , this plant is as rugged and scurvy - maintenance as they arrive .
Rosemary comes in many form and there ’s sure to be one that accommodate your garden . creep rosemary looks beautiful along a rock wall or mount out of pots . good form can be used to make an evergreen hedge in warm climates , where they eventually attain 5 to 8 foot marvellous . In most climates , rosemary stays under 3 feet magniloquent , but looks lovely when combine with other perennials or used as a specimen plant .
Rosemary ’s efflorescence , which flower in nightfall to winter , depending on your climate , are broadly speaking gloomy . The shade of blue ranges , depend on cultivar , from vivid blue to blanch dispirited . The phonograph needle - like leaves are an attractive silver to blue - hoar , which complements most landscape gardening outline .
Planting Rosemary Outdoors
If you ’re planting rosemary outdoors , select a spot that get down at least six to eight hour of sun day by day . The soil should be well - draining , but not too rich . Rosemary prefers soil with a pH between 6.5 and 8.0 . Add burnt lime , if necessary , to raise the filth pH. Although you’re able to set out rosemary from seed , it uprise very slowly . Most gardener prefer to grow rosemary from cuttings or greenhouse transplants .
Make a hole as deep as the transplant and twice as wide . splay the flora into the mess and firm the soil around it . Keep the soil slightly moist during the first growing season . Once established , rosemary rarely needs watering , except during very hot and dry condition .
If you last in zone 6 or 7 , industrial plant rosemary in a sheltered dapple , such as next to a south - facing wall or among other shrubs . In most cases , you wo n’t take to feed rosemary . Too much fertilizer – and water — is one of the leading causes of plant decline . Excess fertilizer and urine make the plant life to produce brittle , woody branches with few leaves . These branches are more prone to winter hurt .
To harvest rosemary , swipe off 5 to 6 inch stems from the branch . you may use the leaves fresh or pay heed the branches and allow them to dry . Once dry , bare the leafage from the shank and store them in a nerveless , dry location . Prune the plant back slightly after it has flowered . Since flowering occur on the current season ’s outgrowth , if you prune earlier , you ’ll remove the blooms .
Planting Rosemary in a Pot
If you have limited growing quad or live in an region with moth-eaten wintertime , you may still grow rosemary in pots . take a batch that apply at least 1 to 2 gallons of soil . employ a sandlike potting mix that is free of peat moss , since peat moss is acidic . Water rosemary plant in pots more oft since water system drain out quickly . urine just enough to keep the soil somewhat moist to the touch . You may also want to inseminate potted rosemary now and again if increase seems very obtuse . fertilise once or doubly per year with a dilute 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer solvent .
Be trusted to fetch the works indoors before the first difficult frost . Store it in a localisation that gets shiny sunlight , such as a way with southern or westerly exposure . Over the wintertime , emergence will slow and the plant will enter quiescence . Keep it in a nerveless way with temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees F. Mist the plant occasionally to increase humidity .
Pests and Problems
The main challenge with uprise rosemary stem turn from unconventional develop conditions . The plant are prone to root rot in boggy soils , but this can easily be prevented by supply ripe drain . blank rosemary plants at least 3 foot apart so air pass around freely since crowded conditions make rosemary prostrate to fungal diseases . nullify overfertilizing and overwatering , as well .
Houseplants are sometimes afflicted by spider mites , aphid and whiteflies . Shoot the leaves with a steady flow of water , which usually take care of these pest . If the problem prevail , spray the leaves with an insecticidal crude oil or grievous bodily harm . look until new growth come out to harvest and eat the leaves .
Varieties to Try
All rosemary varieties can be used in cookery , but the upright types have the most oils . ‘ Tuscan Blue ’ and ‘ Blue Spires ’ are among the practiced culinary rosemary type .
Want to learn more about growing rosemary?
chaffer the following websites :
Growing Rosemaryfrom the Arizona Cooperative Extension
Rosemaryfrom the University of Illinois Extension
P Allen Smith teaches about grow rosemary herbs onYouTube .
Learn how to spread / grow rosemary from cuttings onYouTube .
Julie Christensen see about garden on her granddad ’s farm and female parent ’s vegetable garden in southern Idaho . Today , she lives and gardens on the high champaign of Colorado . When she ’s not digging in the dirt , Julie writes about food , education , parenting and horticulture .
