Growing Rosemary

Rosmarinus officinalis : Lamiaceae / the mint family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                    P P

(Best months for growing Rosemary in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Plant cuttings . Best planted at soil temperatures between 59°F and 68°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 39 - 59 inches apart
  • Harvest in approximately 1 years. In warmer areas, harvest time might be shorter.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Beans, Carrots, Cabbages, Sage
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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18 Mar 13, Frank (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
WHAT IS THE BEST FERTILIZER FOR ROSEMARY?
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15 Mar 13, Sue griffith (Australia - temperate climate)
My rosemary bush is 15 years old. I use it for cooking. It ihas very woody stems. It is quite large. Can I prune it and will it shoot from cut stem?
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01 May 14, Travis Edwards (Australia - temperate climate)
rosemary will handle very harsh treatment and still grow strong I prune mine off regularly with a chainsaw to 1/3rd of their size or less every couple of years and trim them up in between with the same method. I chopped one down to virtually nothing 3 years ago it is now about 4 ft around in every direction, and it was not much more than a stump. pruning them hard gets rid of the dead wood and makes them more bushy so you get more of the tender shoots that are good for cooking.
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05 Mar 13, maddss (Australia - temperate climate)
Does rosemary grow in Autmn
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10 Sep 12, Mithila (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi, I have a rosemary plant which is few months old. I prune it quite often but it looks very dry and unhealthy. What should I do to get it back to look healthy? Thank you. Mithila
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03 Aug 11, georgi (Australia - tropical climate)
growing in pot to control conditions.mix of 3/4potting mix and 1/4 river sand. putting under well lit patio in wet season as it doesn't like wet feet
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26 Nov 10, Urp (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I placed rosemary cuttings into a glass vase of water and they shot roots in a few weeks. Then I planted in pots in soil.
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Showing 41 - 47 of 47 comments
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Tip: Rosemary doesn't play well with many other herbs. I've consistently seen it's stems grow almost at right angles away from nearby parsley, for instance. To avoid this you'll need approximately a 1.5 metre radius/distance away from parsley. Oregano and thyme tend not to affect the rosemary much, but these will begin to grow around or away from rosemary - it's quite funny to watch a plant do a slow-motion about-face; and if you think that following that the idea of the old folk song sounds nice and you plant parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme in a pot, pretty much everything stunts and dies. Start cuttings in the spring thru summer (just snip off the top 30cm of a stem and plant it 15cm deep in-situ) and keep the soil damp/watered (once a day is usually enough) until you see the end of the soft tip of the cutting stand up under it's own wieght, consistently. For a few days-to-a-week after making the cutting, the soft tip will rise and fall with the heat/light of the day and then finally stand up. That's how you know it's taken. It'll shoot away pretty quickly after that.

- Lee

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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