Herb Garden With Rosemary

Types of Rosemary

• Plant varieties may be upright such as Rex, Arp and Miss Jessop, sprawling such as Irene, or prostrate such as Tuscan Blue or Blueboy. Foliage varies from silvery blue to forest green. One variety, Gold Dust, has golden streaks in its dark-green leaves, while Wilma's Gold sports yellow leaves. Flowers are normally medium blue but can also be white as with Albus, pink as with Majorica Pink or pale blue as with Salem.

Zone Requirements

• Rosemary can be grown year-round in USDA zones 8 through 10, where it can obtain heights of 4 to 5 feet; but it must be brought indoors in frost areas. Containers which can be set out into the garden are the best choice for plants destined to spend the winter indoors because once established, rosemary bushes do not like to be moved. Varieties Arp and Madelene Hill are hardy enough to sometimes survive a zone 5 winter.

Garden Placement

• A sunny location out of the wind in well-drained, loose soil is the preferred placement of rosemary although it will tolerate light shade. If plants are carefully pruned when young, rosemary can be sculpted into topiary shapes or even espaliered. In milder climates rosemary is often used as a hedging plant. Pots of rosemary placed strategically around the patio and/or pool area lend a Mediterranean look to a garden while scenting the air deliciously.

Propagation and Care

• Growing rosemary from seed is a slow process. It is easiest to propagate new plants by firmly pegging down a small branch from an existing plant into the soil with a small piece of wire. Once roots are established the "babies" can then be severed neatly from the parent. Fertilize rosemary once per season as over-fertilization causes weak and unruly growth. Prune off no more than two-thirds of the current year's growth for shaping and harvest.