Rosemary – Evergreen Culinary Herb (Set of 3 or 6)

Rosemary is the evergreen Mediterranean herb that earns its place twice over, once in the kitchen and once in the border.

Narrow, needle-like dark green leaves release their scent the moment you brush past, and pale blue flowers open from late spring into summer. Bees work them hard. The plant makes a bushy, upright shrub that can be clipped into a low informal hedge, left to grow loose at the front of a sunny border, or kept in a pot by the back door where you can reach it while cooking.

It asks for very little. A sunny spot and sharp drainage are the whole of it, and once the roots are down it copes with dry soil and with salt-laden coastal wind. What it will not forgive is sitting wet through winter, so avoid heavy ground and never let a container stand in a saucer of water. Each plant arrives as an established 1 litre root ball, ready to plant out or pot on straight away. Rosemary is recorded as a skin allergen, so wear gloves when you prune it.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Rosemary
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 60cm to 150cm tall by 60cm to 100cm wide, depending on variety
• Growth Habit: Bushy, upright evergreen shrub
• Perfect For: Herb gardens, sunny borders, gravel planting, patio pots, low informal hedging
• Foliage: Narrow, needle-like, aromatic, dark green, evergreen
• Flowering Time: Late spring into summer
• Planting Position: Full sun. Copes with coastal exposure and with dry soil once established, and grows well in patio containers
• Soil Type: Light, sandy or gritty, sharply drained
• Hardiness: Fully hardy through an average British winter, though a cold wet one on heavy soil can kill it
• Maintenance: Low. Trim lightly after flowering and avoid cutting into old bare wood
• Seasonal Interest: Spring and summer
• Type: Evergreen perennial herb, grow your own