Growing Rosemary

Introduction

The first mention of rosemary is found on cuneiform stone tablets as early as 5000 BC. After that not much is known, except that Egyptians used it in their burial rituals. There is no further mention of rosemary until the ancient Greeks and Romans.

The herb then made its way east to China and was naturalized there as early as 220 AD, during the late Han Dynasty.

Rosemary came to England at an unknown date; the Romans probably brought it when they invaded in the first century, but there are no viable records about rosemary arriving in Britain until the 8th century. This was credited to Charlemagne, who promoted herbs in general, and ordered rosemary to be grown in monastic gardens and farms.

Rosemary arrived in the Americas with early European settlers in the beginning of the 17th century.

Types

There are basically two types of rosemary, those that are upright shrubs and those that grow as ground covers. Beyond that things get a little more complex, especially since one variety may be sold under several different names.

Upright rosemary has wonderfully flavored leaves and dark blue flowers, while white rosemary, as its name suggests, blooms with a profusion of white flowers from mid-winter to late spring. It is also very aromatic and a bee magnet.

Here are some common rosemary plant types:

‘Arp’ is a cold hardy rosemary that was named for the town of Arp’s newspaper editor, also by the name of Arp. It was discovered by a woman by the name of Madalene Hill. Later down the road, yet another cold hardy rosemary was named after her, the ‘Madelene Hill.’

‘Joyce de Baggio’ also known as golden rain or golden rosemary, is indeed somewhat gold in color. Sometimes mistaken for a variegated plant, the leaf color actually changes with the seasons. Leaves are bright yellow in the spring and fall and become a dark green during the summer.

Blue Boy rosemary is a slow-growing herb that works well in containers or as a border plant. The tiny leaves are edible; you just need a lot of them. Creeping rosemary does exactly what it sounds like it does and makes a lovely scented ground cover.

Pine scented rosemary has wispy or feathery looking leaves. One of the creeping types of rosemary to grow, pink rosemary has small leaves and pale pink flowers that bloom in late winter. It can become a bit out of hand if not pruned frequently, but luckily this rosemary suffers no ill effects from pruning. ‘Santa Barbara’ is another trailing rosemary that is a vigorous grower that can reach lengths of 3 feet or more.

‘Spice Islands’ rosemary is a very flavorful herb that grows as an erect, four foot shrub that blossoms with dark blue flowers in the late winter and early spring.

Germination & Propagation

Rosemary has a germination period of about 15 to 25 days to germinate under ideal conditions. Plant the seed about 1/4 inch deep in a well-draining germination mix. Water thoroughly and place the seed tray on a heating mat. Only about 30 percent of the seeds can be expected to germinate even under the best conditions, so plant seeds thickly.

Since Rosemary is a fairy potent herb and you only need a few sprigs, one plant should be enough to meet your needs. Rosemary also grows relatively fast in Hawaii, so cut stalks are replaced fairly quickly.

Propagate from cuttings: Use a sharp knife to cut off a young shoot approximately 4 inches long. Strip off the lower leaves from the bottom half of the cutting. Stick the stems in a jar of water and place the jar away from direct sunlight. Replace the water daily. The fresh water provides dissolved oxygen and prevents the cuttings from rotting. The rosemary stem cuttings should grow roots in a few weeks.

You can also place the cuttings into pre-moistened Sunshine #4 mix and water it carefully. Make sure that the soil is always moist.

Planting

Rosemary can be grown in a medium to large planter, transplanting as it grows, or directly into the garden. Use a good draining soil like my Best Hawaiian Soil Mix. My adult plants end up in 5-gallon contains.

Sun and Water

Rosemary does best in medium to full sun; six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day is ideal. Rosemary is a fairly hardy and prefers drier conditions; water sparingly. It does not like to be wet for long periods of time.

Fertilizing

Rosemary is relatively slow growing compared to other leafy herbs and, as such, should be fed rarely. It does not have as much chlorophyll as its greener cousins and therefore does not need much nitrogen. I use a blend of primarily phosphorous rich guano with a small amount of nitrogen rich bat guano added and feed about a quarter the amount you would normally feed any other plant of that same size.

Harvesting

Rosemary harvesting can be done at almost any time, but you'll get the best flavor when you pick leaves before the plant blooms.

Younger sprigs will have much more essential oils and are much more desirable for culinary purposes. Once the plant gets older the stems become woody. At this point I prefer to replace it with a freshly rooted cutting.

To harvest cut off the top 2 to 3 inches of each sprig, leaving green leaves and being careful not to cut the plant back too far. You can preserve your rosemary bounty by bundling the clippings with a rubber band and hanging them upside down to dry.