Rosemary is a fragrant evergreen herb native to the Mediterranean, with a wonderful smell that is often associated with good food and great time. It is also good for your health; it contains substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion.
Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks. The name rosemary derives from the Latin ros meaning “dew” and marinus meaning “sea” – “sea dew.” Rosemary’s leaves look like flat pine-tree needles, deep green in color on top while silver-white on their underside. There are many varieties of rosemary, each with slightly different properties. Some grow very bushy and tall, while others tend to trail; some have purple or blue flowers, some white. Grown from either plants or seeds, rosemary is an outstanding perennial performer in any herb garden. Plants can be brought indoors to overwinter in colder zones. Rosemary is also ideal for a rock garden or the top of a dry wall. You can even train rosemary into topiary shapes and the plants are tolerant of salt spray, making them a good choice for pots on the beach.
Propagation
Rosemary is easiest to grow from a cutting, rather than planting seeds. You can get cuttings preferably in late spring, from your local nursery, or even better find a rosemary plant you admire and clip off a few 4 inch pieces to propagate. You have to place each cutting into a small pot of soil filled with two-thirds coarse sand and one-third peat moss. Set the pot in a sunny place, but not in direct sunlight. Water the cuttings regularly and keep in a warm spot until the roots form, which should take about three weeks.
Planting
You can plant the rosemary either in pots or outdoors in your garden, as Rosemary will adapt to most growing conditions and is quite hardy. It will grow its best, in a warm to hot, fairly dry climate. If planting in the garden, choose soil that drains well. Rosemary can suffer from root rot in waterlogged soil.
Care
Rosemary prefers a drier soil, so don’t overdo the watering. It will be happy with the average garden watering. This is not a herb that needs fertilizer. However, make sure that there is some lime in the soil.
Rosemary prefers a drier soil, so don’t overdo the watering. It will be happy with the average garden watering. This is not a herb that needs fertilizer. However, make sure that there is some lime in the soil.
Since rosemary is evergreen, you can harvest it all year round, by picking rosemary leaves as needed. You can also freeze rosemary by placing it in food storage bags and storing in the freezer. Otherwise, strip the leaves from the stems and store in airtight jars. Stored this way, rosemary will slowly dry and will keep for several months.
How to use Rosemary
You can put Rosemary to both sweet and savory dishes. Use it to add depth to meat and chicken, bread or butter. Rosemary can be dried and made into scented drawer sachets, used as in ingredient in homemade soap or turned into fragranced water that makes your hair shiny and soft.
Tips For Growing Rosemary Herb Plants
No comments:
Post a Comment