How to Grow Rosemary

Even if you never consume a single sprig of rosemary, its blue-green, needlelike foliage and compelling fragrance make this tender perennial a must in any garden.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Cactus Potting Soil
• Garden Spades
• Planting Containers
• Rosemary Plants

Growing Rosemary in Warm Climates (USDA Zones 8 Through 10)

1. Buy started plants at the nursery for best results; seeds germinate slowly and erratically - and then only when they're very fresh.

2. 

   Choose a site that gets full sun or very light afternoon shade and has excellent drainage (raised beds are ideal). Rosemary prefers poor to average soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0.

3. 

   Plant at any time, setting transplants into the ground at the same depth they were growing in their nursery pots. Leave at least 2 feet all around to ensure good air circulation.

4. 

   Clip leaves or sprigs anytime you need them.

Growing Rosemary in Cooler Climates (USDA Zone 7 and North)

1. Buy started plants at the nursery for planting in early spring.

2. Use a clay pot that measures at least 12 inches deep and 12 inches across and has plenty of drainage holes.

3. Fill it with a light, coarse potting mix, such as cactus soil with a handful of perlite added. Set the plants into their new quarters at the same depth they were growing in their nursery pots.

4. Harden off plants when all danger of frost has passed, then move them outdoors (see "How to Harden Off Seedlings").

5. Water regularly, keeping the soil slightly moist but never wet. During spring and early summer, feed plants monthly with compost tea.

6. Bring the plants back inside well before the first frost and put them in a sunny south- or west-facing window. If winter sunlight is scarce in your house, augment the supply with fluorescent lights.

7. Keep the soil moist and mist the plants at least twice a week with tepid water.

8. Clip leaves or sprigs anytime you need them.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant rosemary where you intend it to stay; it resents being moved.

• For the best selection - and to be sure of what you're getting - buy rosemary plants from an herb specialist. Large, general-interest garden centers often don't label specific varieties, which come in several foliage forms and bear flowers of either white, pink, deep blue or light blue.

• Rosemary repels cabbage moths and bean beetles.