Rosemary

How to choose rosemary

Start with the shape. Tuscan Blue Rosemary is the classic upright form, reaching about 1.5m, with straight stems that suit hedging and make good barbecue skewers. Gallipoli Rosemary is another upright shrub, descended from a plant brought home from the Gallipoli peninsula, and is often planted for remembrance. Blue Lagoon Rosemary is lower and arching with deep blue flowers, a good fit for the middle of a border or a large pot. Huntington Carpet Rosemary is the trailing one, staying under about 50cm and spreading wide, made for retaining walls, banks and the edges of raised beds. Chef's Choice Rosemary is a compact, mounding plant selected for flavour, and is the one to keep in a pot by the kitchen door.

Botanists now class rosemary as Salvia rosmarinus, so some labels carry the new name and some the old Rosmarinus officinalis. It is the same plant.

Where rosemary works

Rosemary wants full sun and soil that drains. Given those, it grows across most of Australia: it is frost hardy, handles dry inland heat, tolerates lime and poor sandy soil, and stands up to salt wind near the sea. Use it as a low hedge around a vegetable garden, a clipped edge to a path, a filler in gravel and Mediterranean plantings, or in pots on a hot terrace.

In humid subtropical and tropical areas it can struggle through wet summers. There, grow it in a pot or raised bed with gritty mix and plenty of air around it. For companions see our drought tolerant plants, plants for coastal areas and edible plants.

Planting and spacing

For a hedge of an upright form, plant 40cm to 50cm apart. Space trailing forms about 1m apart to cover a bank or the top of a wall. In heavy soil, mound the bed or add coarse sand and gypsum before planting, and add a little garden lime where the soil is strongly acid. Set the plant at the depth it grew in the pot, water in, and mulch with gravel or a thin layer of bark kept away from the stem. Terracotta pots suit rosemary because they dry quickly.

Care basics

Water through the first summer, then only when the soil is dry; more rosemary is lost to wet feet than to drought. Feed lightly in spring, or not at all in reasonable soil. Trim after the main flowering to keep the plant bushy, and clip hedges two or three times in the growing season. Always cut into leafy growth, because bare old wood seldom reshoots. Regular picking for the kitchen does the same job. Replace plants that become woody and open after many years. Our rosemary care guide has more on pruning and growing in pots.

Common questions

Can all rosemary be used for cooking?

Yes. Every form is edible. Upright types with broad leaves are the easiest to strip, and their straight stems make good skewers.

How do I grow a rosemary hedge?

Plant an upright form 40cm to 50cm apart in full sun and tip prune from the start. Clip lightly and often, and never cut back into bare wood.

Why is my rosemary going brown?

Browning from the base usually means the roots are too wet. Improve the drainage, water less, or move the plant to a pot with a gritty mix.

Does rosemary grow in pots?

Very well. Give it full sun, a free draining mix and a pot with large drainage holes, and let the mix dry between waterings.