How to grow Rosemary

Salvia rosmarinus · common rosemary

An evergreen Mediterranean shrub with needle-like leaves, used fresh or dried. It needs sun and free-draining soil and is drought tolerant once established. Established plants take about −8 °C.

Quick facts

Type	Herb
Family	Lamiaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	6–7.5
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 10 °C
Germination	7 days
First harvest after planting	90 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 7 days	—	—
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—
Harvest	every 7 days	—	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 10 days	—	—
Flowering	every 10 days	—	—
Harvest	every 10 days	—	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 5 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 5 days	—	—
Harvest	every 5 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun, at least 6 hours of direct light a day.

Soil

Light, free-draining soil; it hates wet roots, especially in winter. On heavy clay grow it in a raised bed or a pot with grit added.

Care

Water a new plant until it settles in; after that plants in the ground rarely need watering, and overwatering is the commonest cause of death. Pot-grown plants need water in dry spells and a general feed in late spring. Trim lightly after flowering, but do not cut into old wood, which rarely regrows. Where winters are colder than about −8 °C, grow it in a pot and bring it into a cool, bright place before frost.

Pests and diseases of Rosemary

Scale insects

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.