Salem Rosemary

Salem Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis 'Salem', now classified as Salvia rosmarinus) is the upright rosemary to plant when you want a hedge you can cook from. It grows to about 1m tall and 1m wide with dense grey green needles, holds a strong vertical habit instead of sprawling, and carries soft blue flowers through the cooler months.

Why you'll love it

• Upright, not floppy. Many rosemaries open out and lie down after a few years. 'Salem' holds a tight frame at around 1m, which is what makes it work as a clipped hedge.
• A kitchen plant that looks like a garden plant. Fully edible, strongly aromatic leaves, cut fresh all year.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, salt tolerant and happy in poor soil.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so it can go in a front border without a second thought.
• Bees and butterflies work it hard. The blue flowers open when little else is out.

Where it works best

Low hedging and edging. Plant 60cm apart for a low culinary hedge. At that spacing the plants knit into a continuous line within two seasons while each keeps enough room at the base to stay furnished. For a looser border, stretch it to 80cm.

Pots and topiary. The upright habit shears cleanly, so it takes to balls, cones and standards better than trailing rosemaries. A pot 400mm or wider holds a shaped plant for years.

Coastal and dry gardens. Salt laden wind and thin sandy soil are close to its native Mediterranean conditions.

Growing Salem Rosemary in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day, is not negotiable. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens and handles frost well. In the humid subtropics it is much less reliable, because summer humidity encourages root and stem rot.

Soil. Sharp drainage above everything else. It prefers lean, gritty, neutral to slightly alkaline soil and will die in wet clay faster than it dies of thirst. On heavy ground plant on a raised mound with coarse sand through it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to settle the roots, then leave it to the weather. Established plants rarely need irrigation, and feeding is best kept light.

Pruning. Trim after flowering, little and often. Take the top third of the soft growth and never cut into bare woody stems, because rosemary is unreliable at reshooting from old wood.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube stock, 140mm plants in packs of ten, and 200mm plants in packs of six. Tube stock is young and single stemmed and is the value choice for a long edging run. The 140mm and 200mm plants are already bushy and close a hedge line a season sooner.

Some needle drop and a dry grey look after transit is normal and passes within a fortnight. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee. Expect useful cutting growth from the second summer.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the complete rosemary growing and pruning guide.
• Browse more edible plants for the home garden.
• See our pet safe plant range.
• Compare shapes in our topiary collection.

Common questions

How far apart do I plant it for a hedge?

Sixty centimetres apart in a single row. Closer planting does not close the line faster and makes the bases compete, which leaves gaps at ground level within a few years.

Why did my last rosemary die?

Almost always wet feet rather than neglect. Rosemary tolerates drought, poor soil and salt, but not soil that stays damp, so raised planting and sharp drainage matter most.

Is it safe for dogs and cats?

Yes. Rosemary is not toxic to cats or dogs, which makes it sensible where pets have free run of the beds.