Showing posts with label rosemary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rosemary. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Growing The Beautiful And Useful Evergreen Rosemary Shrub Reviewed


Evergreen Rosemary Shrub


One of the most useful and lovely plants in our garden is the Rosemary. All year it delicately perfumes the garden with its gorgeous aromatic scent as you brush against it. Rosemary is a Mediterranean plant with fine needle-like but very soft leaves that emit a beautiful aromatic scent when handled or brushed against.

In summer it is glorious with its pretty flowers, delicate leaves and lovely aroma and even in the depths of winter I can stroke the leaves and smell the delicate scent on my hands. 

Being evergreen it provides structure and something lovely to look at when nothing is flowering and many shrubs have lost their leaves.


Rosemary with blue flowers
Beautiful Aromatic Rosemary In Flower. Photo By Raintree Annie

Ways To Grow Rosemary

  • We grow it as a decorative shrub on its own as a single plant where we enjoy its beautiful scent and its pretty tiny bluish flowers. 
  • It is also grown as a low hedge with several plants spaced about a foot apart growing into each other to provide a loose hedge that can be clipped to the desired height and width. 
  • We keep young plants in pots near the house for clipping new shoots for cooking and baking. 
  • It is always a lovely idea to grow Rosemary where you will be walking close by. So by a path or a seating area where you get the benefit of the aromatic scent every time you or your visitors pass.  
  • It is evergreen and takes very little looking after. It is easy to propagate and simple to grow. We grow it in the garden in the ground and we also have it in pots.
  • Rosemary has its individual needs and likes just as any plant but I feel it is a very straightforward herb that most people can grow in their gardens, patios, or even when young, on a window sill. 
  • Whether you have a large garden or a small garden, whether you incorporated it into your garden with other shrubs and flowers, or grow it in a herb garden as in the photo below, it is a very versatile and lovely plant.  


Herb Garden Barnsdale Garden
Herb Garden Barnsdale Garden Geoff Hamilton. Photo By Raintree Annie

Care Of Rosemary

  • We should plant rosemary in the Spring or Autumn/Fall. I always do it in Spring in my clay soil garden so they get a chance to establish themselves before the winter hardships start. If you have more suitable soil you could do it in either season. 
  • Add some bark compost or leafmould or simply fine gravel or grit to the planting hole in order to break up the soil structure and improve the drainage if you need to. 
  • Each year we should give Rosemary a gentle prune once she has finished flowering to prevent her from becoming woody or spindly. Watch for any damaged or dying branches as well and prune those out.
  • Pruning Rosemary is one of my favourite jobs in the garden as it is so fragrant and easy to do. Apart from those few jobs, there is nothing much else to do regarding regular maintenance.
  • The only pest that bothers Rosemary is the Rosemary beetle. The small metallic-green and purple-striped beetles can be found on the underside of the leaves. I am lucky that we have never been troubled by it, but it is becoming more common. The beetle itself was once thought to be a severe problem to Rosemary, but it has since been found that it usually doesn't cause too much damage.


Rosemary Flowers
Rosemary Flowers Photo By Raintree Annie


Soil And Water Conditions For Rosemary

  • Being from the Meditterean, Rosemary loves to bask in the sunshine, so a sunny spot is a must for this plant. It likes free draining soil and a sheltered place in the garden. 
  • Having said that I currently have three very healthy Rosemary plants growing in full sun and a sheltered position, but in heavy clay soil, which is far from ideal. I do worry about them each year in winter when the soil becomes a claggy, heavy, cold and wet place to be, but so far they have coped admirably with this. They have managed because I grew them in pots for a couple of years before I planted them in the garden. So they were bigger stronger plants when they had to cope with the less than ideal circumstances. 
  • I do however take cuttings every year and have some Rosemary growing in pots of well-drained soil in case I lose the bigger plants.
  • If you have anything but well-drained soil I would recommend you take cuttings every year. I do not think Rosemary will live as long in heavy clay as it would in ideal well drained soil but they are healthy. If I was starting the garden again I would grow Rosemary in a raised bed so that I could give it ideal conditions.  
  • In terms of watering, I never water the shrubs in the ground. Even in last summers heatwave Rosemary was perfectly happy. I do water the rosemary in pots and the cuttings when they become dry.  

Rosemary cuttings
Last Years Rosemary Cuttings Photo by Raintree Annie


Propagation Of Rosemary Cuttings

I take cuttings every year from the Rosemary bushes I have and so always have an abundance to keep or give away.

Taking cuttings is very easy. I have never grown Rosemary from seeds and understand that can take a very long time. So it is best to buy your first Rosemary, then take cuttings to make more.

Before you prune the rosemary for cuttings have everything you need handy. Cuttings can dry out very quickly and if they do they will not grow, so act quickly,

  • You require gritty compost, pots preferably terracotta but plastic will do, hormone rooting powder if you can get it, a pencil, a watering can full of water, a sharp knife and secateurs. 
  • Cut stems of about  4 to 6 inches long using your secateurs and gently remove the lower leaves. Lay the cutting down on a hard surface and using a sharp knife cut just below a leaf node (the point where the leaf has been growing.) 
  • If you have hormone rooting power dip the ends of the cutting into it. I often do not have it so skip this step. 
  • Place the stems into pots already filled with free draining gritty compost. You may need to make a small hole with a pencil first depending on how dense the compost is. 
  • It is best to place the cuttings around the edge of the pot so they are not touching each other. 
  • Then simply water well and place it where it is sheltered and shaded, not in direct sunlight, until they have rooted. 
  • After about 4 weeks check to see how they are rooting. If they are rooting well you can at this point pot them on into their individual pots using a loam based compost. 
  • If not give them another few weeks. Keep watering well so that the soil is moist but not waterlogged. Once they are in their own individual pots we start them on a feed of liquid fertiliser.    

Rosemary shrub
Rosemary Spring Photo By Raintree Annie

Rosemary Uses In Cooking And Baking

I like to incorporate Rosemary into cooking and baking wherever possible and as I grow it we have an unlimited and fresh, organic, pesticide-free supply year round.

It can be used for so many dishes including potatoes, meat and baking. Also in soups and stews, bread, stuffing and roasted vegetables. We love the extra flavour and aromatic scent. 

I always prefer to strip the leaves off the main more woody stem and wash in clear, cold water before using. 

For ideas on how to use Rosemary in cooking/baking please take a look at the links below. 

Reviewing Baking Irish Soda Bread With A Twist by Raintree Annie 

Grilled Rosemary Ranch Chicken by Sam Monaco


If you are interested in cooking with herbs you may like this book  The Herbal Kitchen from Amazon.


Rosemary Benefits To Wildlife.

Bees love Rosemary! This plant has tiny blue flowers that appear irresistible to bees. All summer they are so busy flying from flower to flower and so intent on their work that it is completely fascinating to watch. It is mesmerising watching bees and I would, if I had the time, watch them for hours, but even a few minutes is such a relaxing pastime.

  

Personally, I find the scent of Rosemary very soothing and relaxing. I love those little bags of Rosemary leaves to put under my pillow and in my clothes draws to give them a lovely scent. 

We give Rosemary in terracotta pots as gifts dressed up with a bow or other trimmings. It makes a simple and quite lovely little gift that the person can keep for a long time. 

We cut stems of rosemary and bring them into the house to put in vases like we would fresh flowers. I also buy Rosemary oil to scent our home in diffusers. 

I enjoy growing Rosemary and would not want to be without it in my garden. For such a lovely, easygoing, low-maintenance plant it has great beauty and benefits.


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Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Thoughtful Last Minute Hostess Gifts for Gardeners

Christmas is Just Around the Corner.  

Let's review some lovely Hostess gifts for your friends who love to garden.  

If you are anything like me, even though we've had fair warning, Christmas seems to have been sprung upon us in very short order.  Along with Christmas coming so quickly, invitations to visit with family and friends have also been coming in quicker than the squirrels can empty the bird feeders.

you are invited invitation


What can you do when you really know you'd love to visit, but refuse to come empty-handed?  The first thing is Don't Panic. Let this list help you figure out the best and nicest hostess gift to bring to your friends on your upcoming visit.

Gardeners by their very nature love Plants!

Everyone loves flowers, but gardeners love things that grow!  So a really nice idea would be to bring a potted plant to your host or hostess.  At Christmas time you will find lovely bulb sets that will surely be enjoyed by your gardening friends.  Amaryllis and Paperwhites are typically sold around this time of year as Christmas gifts, but they also make lovely and thoughtful Hostess Gifts.  Most of these are sold with a pot, all the planting media and the bulb which may already show signs of growth. All it needs is a lovely gift bag and a bow!  
Amaryllis will grow for years after the initial gift has had its day and bloomed.  Gardeners will take care of the bulb so that it will bloom for them again and again in years to come. It will remind them of you and your thoughtfulness.

red amaryllis
This plant will give your gardening friends something really beautiful to look forward to.  These blossoms are just out of this world beautiful.  I can't think of a single person whether they are gardeners or not, that wouldn't marvel at this beauty.  

Can we spice it up a bit?

Along with things that grow, you will find many herbs available at this time of year as well.  Rosemary makes a lovely scented gift that your gardener friends can use to make the kitchen smell really nice and they can use the herbs for cooking as well.  Just add a nice little pot and you have a lovely gift. Gardeners can get creative with the rosemary, as it prunes really nice and can be trained into shapes that are really quite interesting. Something to keep your gardening friends happy during the cold months of the year. 

rosemary plant in a pot

How about something More Christmassy?

Typically available at this time of year are Christmas Cactus.  Not at all prickly, they are usually covered in either white, pink or red flowers at the end of their scapes.  A very pretty and easy to grow plant that any gardener would enjoy wholeheartedly.  Give them some light and water and they will happily bloom for a few weeks or more.  These will also continue to grow throughout the year and rebloom the following year again on new growth.  Each year these plants become more beautiful and larger in size. They are easily contained though if space is at a premium.  

christmas cactus

Remember that Plants are Living and Cold will Affect Them.

Just one word of caution, if you are bringing plants as a Hostess Gift, and you live where winter is cold, please take care to wrap your gift well so that it doesn't freeze or suffer from getting cold.  Preheat your vehicle and wrap the plant with two layers of plastic and tie or secure it shut so that the cold air doesn't touch the plant and all will be well.

My friends already have too many plants, don't you have any other suggestions?

If you don't want to bring a plant and would prefer another gift that is not subject to the weather, let me let you in on some little gift ideas that every gardener I know would appreciate. 

Every gardener I know never ever has enough pairs of gardening gloves.  I have at least 4 pairs on the go at any one time.  So a pair of gardening gloves and a few packets of seeds done up in a little package will bring smiles of gratitude from your Host or Hostess.  

A nice hand cream is also something that we can never have enough of either.  Hands even when protected by gloves, can become rather dry.  A lovely scented hand cream would be nice and not too expensive.  

Another handy gift would be a thermal mug or cup for coffee, tea or water.  Sipping while you work in the garden is a luxury and much needed in the summer months.  Not having to stop what you are doing to get that sip of water is even better.

Gardeners love a great apron.  One with pockets in them to hold the seed packets, clippers or gloves when they stop for a minute.  It also helps to keep them just a little cleaner while they are working away in their little paradise.  

Do you need more suggestions?

There are many more gifts for the Gardener Friends on your list. Just for your enjoyment and for their pleasure I am including another list of  Host/Hostess gifts that would be sure to please. So here goes:

  1. Garden Stakes or Markers
  2. A Small Watering Can
  3. Books or a Magazine subscription, Farmer's Almanac
  4. Funny Garden inspired T-shirts
  5. Bonsai Gift Set (available at Amazon)
  6. Garden inspired Coffee Mug
  7. Kangaroo Garden Bag (a collapsible compost bag, also available at Amazon)
  8. Gardener's Journal
  9. Windchimes or Suncatchers
  10. Willowtree (tm) Figurine "Angel of the Garden"
All of these suggestions are under $25.00, and I know from personal experience that Gardeners who love to entertain, would enjoy any of these suggestions.

Let the Friend who invites you over the holidays know how much you appreciate his/ her efforts in the garden and I'm sure you will see the biggest "Thank You" smile for miles around.
Appreciation of family and friends never gets old and at Christmas time or over the holidays even more so.  

May your Holidays be filled with good friends, and family!  May there always be smiles and lots of laughter!  Happy Holidays.

You can read more about Gardening or Gardening Gifts on Review This or follow the links below!
Pictures on this Review This Post all come from Pixabay in the order that they appear here!




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