How to Bonsai a Rosemary Plant

Place your rosemary on a clean, flat surface and sit or stand at eye level with the plant. Remove any dying or damaged branches from the rosemary with sharp, sterile pruning shears. Determine the desired shape for your rosemary and cut the unwanted branches from the rosemary. Make straight flush cuts.

Remove the rosemary from its original container and gently crumble the excessive soil from the root mass. Cut back dead and wilted roots back to the root mass. Trim back the healthy roots about a third of the way back from its tips.

Secure fine wire mesh over a potting container's drainage holes to keep the roots from reaching through the holes. Use a well-drained container for the rosemary that is a few inches deeper and wider than its root mass.

Line the bottom third of the rosemary's container with a nutrient-rich, fast-draining soil. Position the freshly pruned tree in the center of the container and fill the remainder of the container with the soil. Work quickly to prevent the roots from drying out.

Water your newly potted rosemary bonsai immediately after potting by pouring tepid water evenly around the container, at soil level, until the excess runs from the container's drainage holes. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings, as the rosemary is intolerant to wet feet.