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Post by breezygardener on Feb 27, 2015 8:55:16 GMT -5
The most durable Rosemary I ever grew was back on Long Island, NY, (Zone 7).
I had planted my mother a culinary herb garden in her brick patio (as in removing a lot of the bricks & amending the soil to make a planting area) which was not only south-facing, but was up against the house. Thus the Rosemary had protection, plus reflected heat from both the light-colored house siding + the bricks. That baby reached between 3'-4' tall, even with the somewhat brutal winters we had there back then (late '70's early '80's). I also think that all the additional sand in that bed (from when the bricks were originally put down) helped tremendously as far as drainage went. Rosemary does not like wet feet.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 27, 2015 9:57:23 GMT -5
When daughter lived in Washington (rental home), one of the raised beds had a beautiful Rosemary. That plant was about waist high and lush. I was envious. She had not paid much attention to it, so I started picking sprigs of it and bringing it in, just for the fragrance. Eventually, a chicken dish was prepared with some of the fresh Rosemary. I would have gladly brought that plant home with me...and killed it like the others.
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Post by gakaren on Feb 27, 2015 21:40:00 GMT -5
I have one that I rescued a few years back. It was one of those that Lowes had cut shaped like a Christmas tree. They had marked them down at least twice and they were headed to the dumpster when I grabbed the best looking one of the bunch. I think I paid $1.25 for it. They had let them dry out completely. Soooo, I brought it home & put it in my garden house and watered the dickens out of it....and kept watering about every other day. As soon as it was warm enough I planted it in one of my herb beds. I trimmed just a bit off it last year, but year before it had gotten to about 5' tall & 6' wide...it got a major hair cut that year. And every branch that touches the ground sends down roots. Mine has made it through some pretty cold temps here....down into the teens and we had wind chills in the single digits at least once this year. |
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Post by binnylou on Feb 27, 2015 21:44:54 GMT -5
I have one that I rescued a few years back. It was one of those that Lowes had cut shaped like a Christmas tree. They had marked them down at least twice and they were headed to the dumpster when I grabbed the best looking one of the bunch. I think I paid $1.25 for it. They had let them dry out completely. Soooo, I brought it home & put it in my garden house and watered the dickens out of it....and kept watering about every other day. As soon as it was warm enough I planted it in one of my herb beds. I trimmed just a bit off it last year, but year before it had gotten to about 5' tall & 6' wide...it got a major hair cut that year. And every branch that touches the ground sends down roots. Mine has made it through some pretty cold temps here....down into the teens and we had wind chills in the single digits at least once this year. Lucky you...just shows what a little (or a lot) of TLC can do. |
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 27, 2015 22:19:43 GMT -5
Good work gakaren! I just went out to look at my RM today, as the snow has melted enough to trudge through it, and there is green! Can't see it real well, with all that condensation inside the plastic, but it seems to have survived, due to the heater I stuck in with it. |
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Post by octave on Mar 2, 2015 16:59:28 GMT -5
ellenr where did you learn about overwatering rosemary?
When I had mine indoors I would just water it profusely, never thought about consequences, and never faced any.
Was I just lucky? But that plant lasted for years, until it got too large to haul in/out and I transplanted in the garden.
Once outside it did not make it through the Winter, of course.
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Post by breezygardener on Mar 2, 2015 17:06:22 GMT -5
ellenr where did you learn about overwatering rosemary? When I had mine indoors I would just water it profusely, never thought about consequences, and never faced any. Was I just lucky? But that plant lasted for years, until it got too large to haul in/out and I transplanted in the garden. Once outside it did not make it through the Winter, of course. "Overwatering" rosemary isn't key to getting it to survive. And yes, you may have been "just lucky". Perhaps excellent drainage was the key. As Mediterranian natives, they thrive on excellent drainage (yet no dry-out), & FULL sun. |
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Post by ellenr on Mar 2, 2015 18:23:48 GMT -5
ellenr where did you learn about overwatering rosemary? When I had mine indoors I would just water it profusely, never thought about consequences, and never faced any. Was I just lucky? But that plant lasted for years, until it got too large to haul in/out and I transplanted in the garden. Once outside it did not make it through the Winter, of course. Breezy is right. In my post, I was actually referring to houseplants in general. As a new indoor gardener, everything I read warned "More houseplants are killed by over-watering than anything else." And I'm sure that is true. That is why with everything I was anxious about not over-watering. It took some time and some confidence to rely more on what the plant was telling me - re how much water it needed. Because those cautions about over-watering did not have in mind how very dry my apt is. And another a factor - small pot dries up quicker than a larger one. |
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Post by claude on Mar 4, 2015 20:30:29 GMT -5
I wind up
I wind up buying a new Rosemary plant every year...can't keep them alive thru the winter...except once..20 yrs ago...planted near the chimedy where the winter sun is lovely..and I threw a basket over the top of it...dumb luck
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Post by breezygardener on Mar 5, 2015 10:31:03 GMT -5
I have had the same problem so far here in VA. While Rosemary does love heat, I think our horrid humidity is what really does them in. I have one in a container that I've been lugging in & out when temps go below 20 or so, but even that one is starting to look a bit ratty.
This coming season I may try one in a larger tub & see how that goes. When my husband sees me coming home each season with yet another new Rosemary plant, he claims he can hear it scream in horror if it happens to spy the carcass of the last one.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 14, 2015 0:11:31 GMT -5
I uncovered my rosemary today, and they are both alive! Even the small one survived, showing a little growth during this severe winter we had here.  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2015 1:28:51 GMT -5
I was weak at Lowes. They had rosemary rooted cuttings. I took one with several air-layerable branches.
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Post by ecsoehng on Mar 19, 2015 11:01:24 GMT -5
My our door ARP rosemary survived! I thought it would be a goner for sure with all that very cold weather but it lived! Rosemary is one of those plants that it pays to have a plant B. I think inside I only had it survive once but now that I think about it maybe in the greenhouse shelf it would survive. I will have to try that. Outside they can do well protected IF I plant the ARP meant for surviving a little bit colder temps. The rosemary in the pot outside never survives. Also the one in the pot never survives, only in the ground. If you have enough rosemary to trim, the trimmings make lovely wreaths.
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Post by Veggie Gal on May 12, 2015 12:14:02 GMT -5
I have several Rosemary bushes around my yard, they do very well because of my weather. It's true you don't want to keep their feet wet or they turn brown and die.
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Post by wandak🕊 on Sept 28, 2015 18:19:58 GMT -5
I am glad I am not alone with my rosemary not surviving my care. My sister says I love them to death.
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