Photo Credit
Andrei Metelev
Subhead
Discover how to plant, grow, and care for rosemary—a fragrant, drought-tolerant herb perfect for pots or garden beds in warm climates.
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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.
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.
Gardening Products
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.
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Hello, I have had grown rosemary successfully in containers several times over the last 20-years. I have one now that is 10-years old, and in a large pot. I bring the plants in during the winter, as it snows here in Missouri. During the winter months, I keep the rosemary plants in a sunny doorsill and water them only once a week or so. I have found that rosemary can burn in too hot of sun, after which it will turn brown on the spindles. Watering the plants during the day, on hot summer days, can cook the spindles and turn them brown. On mild days, I find the plant responds very well to a misting. During the hottest months, I water rosemary once a day in well-draining soil. I do not use plant food for rosemary. I find this plant responds well to being trimmed, and I use it in cooking almost every week, so perhaps this regular trimming is a component of them doing well. My rosemary plants deal with hot summers in Missouri (100+ F and fairly mild winters 10-20 F average lows). Missouri has high humidity.
Hope this helps. Rosemary is a good plant!
Great advice, Brandon. One question though, what kind of soil do you use? Any soil or the cactus soil as some are suggesting?
Thank you, Brandon Henry! It's really wonderful to have a reader sharing advice with the Almanac community (including your editors). Sincerely, The Old Farmer's Almanac
My rosemary is about 5 years old planted in a medium size pot outside. Looks like it is dying. Does it need a larger space for the roots to spread?
Hello,
I think your rosemary may need to be replanted. I have found my older rosemary's benefit much from being replanted in a larger pot. Each time, the plant was 4-5 years old, and was heavily rootbound. After repotting, they all began to grown substantially. I use a fairly loamy, alkaline soil for rosemary.
I say give it a try!
Sincerely,
Brandon
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Brandon
I bought a Rosemary plant at a farmer's market (among other plants) and planted it in a small pot along-side a lemon basil. My mint and nasturtium each have their own pot.
The nasturtium has been eaten up by aphids, which is strange since I live on the 2nd story of my apartment building. The mint and lemon basil have been flourishing! However, the rosemary has not grown at all and looks like its dying... I put it in a pot with rich soil and fertilizer, and water it regularly... any thoughts? Is it too late to transplant it into another pot with sandy soil?
Rosemary plants are very slow growers compared to your other plants. Rosemary actually likes low fertility, dry ground, and lots of sun. Think of its native Mediterranean climate. Stop fertilizing. Just water them deeply once in a while and let the soil dry out a bit between waterings. And make sure the soil isn't too rich; it needs great drainage.
I love my rosemary plant. I have been pinching and using it all summer. I'm going to try to bring it in for the winter. Should I re-pot it when I bring it in?
If it is in a pot, it is not necessary to repot it.
I transplanted a nice size (1'tall) rosemary bush --healthy one blooming-- from Maryland ot the eastern shore of delaware in hot July, ( first mistake)
it stayed green but the new grown withered and started growing brown. then in 1 week gardener-friend visited and said ought to be trimmed. he trimmed about 1/2 plant back. came back in 1 week and it had totally turned brown except for one sprig that hardly got trimmed...... I think the plant is almost dead. I told him to not trim it because that was an additional trauma. did the trimming kill it or the original transplant? or,perhaps the large volume of rain? we also moved, trimmed lavendar same size and time and it it is not dead.
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