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How to Grow Rosemary: Planting, Pruning, and Harvesting This Hardy Herb

green rosemary bush, many branches are randomly arranged. fresh seasoning
Photo Credit
Andrei Metelev
Botanical Name
Salvia rosmarinus (aka Rosmarinus officinalis)
Plant Type
Herbs
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Blue
Purple
Hardiness Zone
7
8
9
10
11

Discover how to plant, grow, and care for rosemary—a fragrant, drought-tolerant herb perfect for pots or garden beds in warm climates.

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Looking to add some flavor to your garden and your dinner? Rosemary’s got you covered. This hardy herb is an overachiever of the plant world—aromatic, drought-tolerant, bee-friendly, and stylish enough to double as landscaping. Whether you’re planting it in pots or the ground, we’ll show you how to grow, prune, and harvest rosemary like a seasoned pro!

About Rosemary

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a compact, small to medium-sized woody shrub; there’s also a trailing variety. This shrubby herb is a type of sage and grows well with other Mediterranean herbs, such as lavender and thyme. It has lovely blue flowers as well, attracting pollinators!

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Drought-tolerant, rosemary grows best in warm areas, similar to its native shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In these conditions, rosemary can grow into a shrub 5 to 10 feet in height. Rosemary grows so vigorously in ideal conditions that it needs yearly pruning to keep it bushy.

This herb can be grown in the ground or in a pot. If you live in Zones 7 and warmer, it grows easily as a perennial evergreen shrub that lives for many years. Rosemary is hardy down to 15° to 23°F (-10° to -5°C), so it may need winter protection. In colder areas, rosemary should be grown in a pot and brought indoors for the winter.

When growing rosemary as a culinary herb, it’s best to harvest it in the spring and summer when it’s actively putting on new growth. Rosemary is a compact woody shrub. While all the leaves are technically edible, we usually only eat the tender leaves that form at the tips of new branches.

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Planting

Plant in full sun in fast-draining soil; rosemary won’t tolerate being constantly wet. Ideally, the soil should be relatively fertile (mix in compost prior to planting to increase nutrient levels).

When to Plant Rosemary

  • Plant rosemary in spring well after the frosts have passed, once the soil is starting to warm up (around 70ºF or 21°C). In warmer climates, plant in spring or fall.
  • Most gardeners start rosemary from young plants bought at a nursery. This plant does not germinate easily from seed and seedlings are slow to grow.
  • However, if you have access to an established rosemary plant, rosemary is very easily started from cuttings.
  • If you wish to grow from seed indoors, just be aware it will take several years to grow the plant large enough to start harvesting.
  • Start seeds or cuttings indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. (See your local frost dates.) 

How to Plant Rosemary

  • Rosemary grows well in the ground or in containers. However, it does not like wet roots, so if your soil is heavy or wet, plant it in a pot or a raised bed. Also, rosemary does not transplant well from ground to container, so start in a pot if you plan to bring it inside (especially in colder climates).
  • Before planting in the ground, mix in several inches of organic matter, such as compost, to create nutritious, fertile soil.
  • In a pot, use a container mix, as rosemary needs a lighter-weight soil mix.
  • Space starter plants 2 to 3 feet apart; rosemary does not like being crowded.
  • If starting seeds or cuttings indoors, keep the soil moist while seeds germinate and roots develop. Seeds can take a long time to germinate (2 to 3 weeks), so don’t give up right away! Plant outside once the plant is 4 inches tall.

Rosemary plant with purple flowers

Growing

  • Keep the soil uniformly moist, allowing it to dry out between waterings. Be consistent; be careful not to overwater.
  • Rosemary shrubs growing in the ground do not need fertilizer, but a potted plant will run out of nutrition more quickly, so feed with an all-purpose balanced fertilizer after flowering.
  • Mulch the shrubs to keep plants insulated in winter, but keep mulch away from the crown of the plant to avoid rotting.
  • Prune annually before new growth begins in the spring, and prune out dead wood. Don’t prune the rosemary too heavily.
  • If you leave rosemary unpruned, it can get very woody, leggy, and straggly. After about 5 years, it’s best to replace it.
  • Be sure to get cuttings or divide the plant for next season if it won’t survive winter in your area.
  • During the winter, bring potted rosemary plants inside. Learn how to overwinter rosemary indoors.

Rosemary plants

Harvesting

  • While rosemary is an evergreen that can be harvested at any time, it’s best to harvest young stems and leaves for the freshest taste. The plant puts on soft new tips in the spring and summer.
  • The leaves and stems get tougher and more woody as they age. The older tips are best for infusing things with flavor or scent, rather than eating. Try making rosemary vinegar!
  • Even the flowers are edible, with a slightly sweeter flavor. Add to salads or dishes as a garnish.
  • Snip off stems, while keeping an eye on maintaining an attractive shape to the plant. Don’t harvest more than a third of the rosemary at any one time.
  • To dry rosemary, hang it upside down in bunches in a dark, warm place. Once stems are dry, strip the leaves from them and store in a sealed jar.

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Pests/Diseases

  • Aerial blight
  • Bacterial leaf spots
  • Several types of root rot

Wit and Wisdom

  • In the garden, plant rosemary near beans, cabbage, carrots, and sage. Learn more about companion planting with herbs.
  • Rosemary tea is said to enhance one’s memory. Wear a sprig of rosemary in your hair to improve your memory.
  • In the language of flowers, rosemary symbolizes remembrance.
  • A sprig of lavender or rosemary under your ironing board cover will release its fragrance with the heat.

The Many Uses of Rosemary

Enjoy this video showing the rosemary plant—and its many uses as a helper in the garden, kitchen, and healing home!

Recipes
Rosemary Chicken With Spinach
Cornbread with Pine Nuts and Rosemary
Roasted Pork Tenderloin With Garlic and Rosemary
Rosemary Vinegar

Cooking Notes

Rosemary is wonderful with roast lamb, pork, chicken, pasta, and vegetables (such as carrots) as well as in sauces, soups, and stews. 

After drying, rosemary makes a lovely tea to aid digestion. You can also use it to infuse vinegar or olive oil, as well as flavor butter. 

Herbs
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Paula Plishka</span> Sun, 01/26/2014 - 16:31
How do I prune it? Do I take the whole branch off the dried parts? Or just take the "leaves" which aren't really leaves off?
<span>Trisha H</span> Sun, 01/12/2014 - 18:35
I have two rosemary bushes that are three years old. They were planted about half way down the east side of a 14 foot waterfall. We had so much rain this past summer that even though they are on a hill and drainage is great, it was too much for them and they drowned. I pruned them back drastically because they were brown and starting to mold. Will they come back this spring? Or, should I dig them out and start over with new plants? Currently there are foot long stalks with very little leaves though a few branches did survive...
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 01/14/2014 - 12:10

Wait and see how they are doing in the spring. You may have to consider a new drier location if you buy new plants.

 <span>Texasmike</span> Mon, 01/06/2014 - 07:10
I have had Rosemary plants outside for about 10 years. I live in East Texas where we have mild winters, but we do have some cold weather, it is 20 degrees out this morning. I have a hedge of Rosemary on the side of my parking pad, about 20 feet long and use it as a landscape hedge and love it. I prune it once a year to keep it in shape and that is all I have ever done to it. I have been rooting cuttings to form into little trees to give out next Christmas as gifts to friends.
<span>Charles Branton</span> Sun, 10/20/2013 - 13:08
We live in West Central Texas. My 3 year old Rosemary plant is growing in the ground, not in a pot, in mildly acidic loamy soil outside, in full sun. It is thriving and beautiful but has never bloomed, consequently never produced seed. What might be the problem, or is there a problem? We would like to try re-propagating the plant from seed.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 10/21/2013 - 18:14

Some rosemary varietes don't flower well.  They like poor soil. Hold off any fertilizer and use a bit of bonemeal.

To propagate rosemary, you would grow it from a cutting (versus seed). Use healthy shoot tips that are about 4 inches long. Trim off the lower leaves and cut cleanly beneath a leaf joint. Dip cut end into rooting hormone powder.
Fill a pot with compost mix and firm gently leaving a 1cm (1/2in) gap between the top of the compost and the pot.

Use five or six cuttings around the edge of the pot filled with compost mix up to 1/2-inch from the top of the pot.
Secure a clear plastic bag around the pot. An elastic band will hold it in place.
Cuttings should have rooted within eight weeks and can then be potted into individual pots.

 <span>Georgewilson</span> Wed, 12/03/2014 - 11:39
Though it's true that several rooting powder/solution bottles warn against using on edibles,there is probably no ill effects to our health from using the powder/solution in small amounts. Most edible plants root well without using any powders or hormones. There are several homemade alternatives to rooting powders/solutions.
<span>Ckagan</span> Sat, 11/29/2014 - 16:12
Most hormone rooting powders carry a warning NOT to use it on plants that are for human consumption. Please check the bottle before using the powder to root rosemary to be used in cooking. Penn State Master Gardener
<span>Another Kim</span> Wed, 10/02/2013 - 21:41
I live in Southern AZ. Fall is our planting season so I'm putting a rosemary in the ground this week. We rarely get freezes here. Should I just cover it when they do happen? Our summers get extremely hot, 100 and above. Should I use shade cloth then? My soil is alkaline, but it's clay, will digging in compost be enough for growing Rosemary?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sat, 10/05/2013 - 02:25

Rosemary is a great plant for year-round growing in Arizona. Yes, you need to amend your clay soil as rosemary isn't picky but the plant does need well-drained soil. Dig in plenty of bulky organic matter such as manure or, ideally, composted bark. Water every few days during the first growing season until established. Add rocks around herbs to keep roots cool in the summer heat. Rosemary is a Mediterranean plant so it should weather the summer. To protect from winter winds, plant on an eastern exposure, if possible. If you decide that frost is a possibility, cover your rosemary as it's a tender plant. Use newspapers, straw, old sheets and bedspreads, plastic tarps, or evergreen branches. Cover the whole plant; you’re trying to retain radiated heat. It’s best to have all covers in place well before sunset.