Common Rosemary Plants

Rosmarinus officinalis

Rosemary is the herb we most often associate with lamb but its strong, aromatic nature adds finesse to dishes as diverse as tagine, biscotti, pizza and brownies. The fine needles are a beautiful grey-green colour while the young growth at the tip can feel quite sticky to the touch. From early spring to early summer aquamarine pale blue flowers nestle amongst the needles adding to Rosemary's heady scent.

The flowers may well emerge again in autumn. As an evergreen, the plant looks vibrant all year round which also means you can harvest fresh leaves every month if you are not too greedy. But If you suddenly have a need for masses at a time, then have that need in the summer when it can recover strongly and well before the chance of frosts. Another evergreen herb to consider with rosemary that is also invaluable and is said to benefit from being grown close to rosemary is sage.

Rosemary makes a decent evergreen hedge, and the cultivar Miss Jessop's Upright is even better.

Rosemary has many guises

Common Rosemary has a vigorous upright habit creating a strong vertical against other more prostrate herbs like the thymes or oreganos. It needs sun to really flourish and, although it will survive a frost or two, if you live in the North you would be as well to plant it against a south or south-west facing wall. When flowering it is a stunning spectacle and definitely evokes the look and smell of the Mediterranean, so it can be upgraded from mere herb to inhabitant of herbaceous border next to salvias, or bright cosmos. Rosemary works well in pots, especially in colder areas because you can then take them in to somewhere frost-free during winter. The compost you use should be very free draining. Rosemary's natural habitat is pretty arid, so water sparingly and only feed it after flowering. Surround it with bedding plants like trailing lobelia or petunias. Rosemary dries well, and unlike most herbs its flavour almost improves. You can use the twigs as skewers when barbecuing kebabs or just lay some on a fire to scent a room. Roses look wonderful with rosemary as the restrained and elegant greenery in a posy and don't forget to use some to flavour oils and vinegars for easy presents.

Rosemary Features

• Height: 1 m
• Spread: 1 m
• Foliage: evergreen, grey-green needles
• Flowers: pale blue in early spring to early summer and again in autumn
• Uses: culinary and herb garden, savoury and sweet
• Spacing: 90 cm
• Scent/Taste: aromatic, Mediterranean
• Habit: upright, bushy
• Life: hardy perennial

Did You Know?

Spanish legend maintains that the pure blue of rosemary stems from the Virgin Mary spreading her blue cloak over a white flowered rosemary bush to hide from soldiers when she fled into Egypt. Once the soldiers had gone, Mary retrieved her cloak only to discover that the flowers had transformed themselves to blue in respect for her purity. In a similar vein, it is alleged that rosemary will only live for 33 years, or for as long as Christ was alive. In practice, they are best replaced every 5-8 years. And seemingly, not only is Rosemary for remembrance as Ophelia makes plain, but it is also a sign of fidelity in Elizabethan times such that every bridal couple were bound to wear or carry a sprig at their nuptials. As versatile in the pharmacy as in the kitchen, rosemary infusions act as a great tonic for dark hair, a mouthwash for halitosis or an antiseptic gargle for throat infections.

As an aromatic plant, rosemary rarely succumbs to pests or disease. In winter put a mulch of straw or fleece around young plants. Do not over water, especially if in pots. Trim lightly in the summer after flowering and never in the autumn.