Flowers · Perennials and shrubs
Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
An evergreen culinary shrub with needle leaves and small pale-blue flowers from late winter into spring. It needs sun and will not tolerate sitting in cold wet clay.
Growing conditions
Soilchalk, loam, sand
Moisturewell-drained
pHneutral, alkaline
Position
SunFull sun
Aspecteast, south, west
Exposuresheltered, exposed
HardinessH4
Size
Time to maturityUseful within a year
Max height0.8–1.5 m
Max spread0.8–1.2 m
In the garden
Plant in spring against a warm wall if your garden is exposed. Trim after flowering to keep it dense. Replace woody, bare plants rather than cutting them hard.
Rosemary beetle is the main pest. Cold wet winters kill more plants than frost alone.
Colour and scent
A mark in a season means the plant is doing that for at least part of it.
| Season | Foliage | Flower | Scent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Leaves | pale blue | Scented |
| Summer | Leaves | — | — |
| Autumn | Leaves | — | — |
| Winter | Leaves | — | — |
- JanFoliage
- FebFoliage
- Marpale blue
- Aprpale blue
- Maypale blue
- JunFoliage
- JulFoliage
- AugFoliage
- SepFoliage
- OctFoliage
- NovFoliage
- DecFoliage
Jobs
These dates suit a mild southern garden. A northern or Scottish plan shifts spring and autumn jobs by a fortnight.
25 April
Plant
Plant rosemary in spring, adding grit on heavier soil, in the sunniest part of the garden.
20 May
Trim after flowering
Shear the soft growth lightly once the blue flowers fade.