Rosemary - the herb

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by barbarajmck on November 21, 2005 05:42 AM

I have a nicely grown rosemary plant that I want to keep over the winter. Can I leave it outside or do I have to garage it? I'm in Williamsburg, VA and it gets to 20 degrees at night.
Thanks!

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Barbarajmck

by obywan59 on November 30, 2005 01:39 PM

Rosemary is considered a mild-climate herb and prefers climates where winter temperatures do not fall below 10 degrees F. It looks like you should be okay.

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Terry

May the force be with you

by melcon6 on November 30, 2005 05:26 PM

I live in zone 4/5 and I have to bring my rosemary into the house for the winter. I have found it to be very finicky about that. They prefer it on the cool side so I think indoors is a little warm for it. I keep it in front of the sliding doors which is sunny but cool.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINDY!!!!!!!

by Bestofour on December 14, 2005 12:13 AM

I live in Monroe, NC and mine stays outside all the time.

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http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour

by 4Ruddy on December 16, 2005 06:34 AM

I have 5 Rosemary bushes that I leave out all year...we don't get a lot of snow...but we do have a lot of ice storms...so I am with Sheri in thinking you are fine. If you still are a little leary...mulch around it heavily with leaves or a good mulch product.

~V~

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Happiness, like a dessert so sweet.
May life give you more than you can ever eat...
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by tkhooper on December 21, 2005 11:32 PM

I'm going to try so direct sow this spring. I would love to have some but I can't even get it to sprout indoors.

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by Wizzard on January 09, 2006 07:19 AM

it must be pretty hard to sprout. i have tried many times with little to no success. i think they are easier to propagate by cuttings. i ended up buying some from the co-op.
and on the main topic, im in zone 6a, leave mine out, havent had a problem.

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Wizzards pics

by ShirlS on January 10, 2006 02:05 AM

What a blessing this thread is! I was just coming to ask about Rosemary. We bought a rosemary cone ( very large) to use as a mini christmas tree this year. It was dying inside so I placed it on the balcony. here is my question.. It is in a container, the original one that came from the store. will it be ok for the winter in that? Also am I supposed to keep watering it? I am in zone 5b-6a

Thanks for your help
Shirl

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Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

by peppereater on January 11, 2006 04:01 AM

Shirl, that's probably a little iffy. You might want to set it in a big bucket or something and put dirt or anything you have in to take up space and insulate it. Maybe have some burlap or fabric to cover it on the coldest nights.
By the way, if you loose this plant, don't blame yourself. I know several people who've bought these and lost them. They've been very pampered in the nursery.
Good Luck! I have a huge rosemary that I've had for 4 years, and I love it. I don't do anything to it but water when the soil is dry. It's outside, zone 7, in a big pot, and it got down to 10 degrees here recently, didn't hurt a thing.
Anyone have suggestions on starting cuttings?

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!

by ShirlS on January 11, 2006 07:54 AM

Thanks Dave!

I definately will do as you suggested. I have something I can put the plant in and I have a bunch of those packing peanuts. They should insulate it pretty well. All we can do is try eh? [Wink]

Shirl

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Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

by LilacLover on February 27, 2006 08:42 AM

I hae three Rosemary bushes I got at Christmas time. Do I need to plant those in the yard? Or buy some pots to plant them in? And they are turning brown under them. Are they dying or will they get green again in the Spring? I leave them outside....Mine last year died in the house because I think it dried out in the warm house.

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Mark

by melcon6 on February 27, 2006 08:54 AM

I plant mine in pots because being in Maine I have to bring it indoors. Turning brown at the bottom is not good. They like to stay in a cool place and water is tricky, let dry out but not much between waterings.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINDY!!!!!!!

by Mandyz on March 17, 2006 12:13 AM

I have had great difficulty growing rosemary - all from seed. Last summer I finally had a couple small plants, so when I moved into my house I planted them in the ground. They did much better there, but then winter was coming, and it definitely gets below 10C here. So I dug up some of all my herbs and re-potted them. Some survived; rosemary did not. I started again from seed, but I find them very slooooow to grow.
I am considering starting from a cutting if I can get one.

PS I also had a store bought rosemary tree and it died very quickly - but that was because it was a gift I was hiding from DH overnight (maybe 8 hours) in a small basement bathroom... and I think it was baked in there. It wasn't a very good gift in the end!

by tkhooper on March 17, 2006 04:19 AM

Rosemary hates me. But maybe I'll look for a plant rather than seeds and immediately stick it outside. They are cool looking bushes when they aren't dying.

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by Buglady on March 17, 2006 09:49 AM

FYI for germinating rosemary seeds that are viable, you need 55F night and 70F day. They like well-drained, alkaline soils. You always have low germination.

I grow mine from cuttings, with a rooting hormones and subheating you can be very successful. My favorite variety is logee's blue rosemary.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

by tkhooper on March 17, 2006 09:11 PM

No wonder I wasn't successful in the house. I'd have a fit if it got that cold lol.

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by Buglady on March 17, 2006 11:26 PM

its ok.. i don't know why all the seed company's sell rosemary and lavender seeds. They are hard to germinate and the industry all grows them from cuttings.

Its helps that i teach plant propagation at the local college to know this stuff, but even then they are hard to grow from seed.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

by Bestofour on March 18, 2006 09:04 AM

I have some lavendar seeds. Should I start crying now? All I see at the store is lavendula plants.

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http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour

by Buglady on March 18, 2006 10:57 AM

well dont forget there are many kinds of lavender and not a gorw in all areas.. here is a good site with information Lavender info

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

by Sslurrpp on March 26, 2006 12:55 PM

OK, So now I'm a little worried. The Rosemary Plants I started last month are sprouting nicely, although they took longer than anything else that I planted at the same time. What precautions do I need to take to make them as healthy as possible? Right now they are in good dirt under a plant lamp and watered when the soil is dry.

by Buglady on March 26, 2006 01:04 PM

well getting them to come up is the battle...

just keep them a little dryer then other starts...

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

by Sslurrpp on March 26, 2006 01:18 PM

Thanks, I'll keep you guys posted on the seedlings!

by Deborah L. on March 27, 2006 08:19 AM

Buglady, what a great site (the lavendar) !
Thanks !

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by rucrazy on April 16, 2006 02:09 PM

I have a rosemary bush got all dried out over the summer. Can't remember if it was left in the sun too long or it jsut didn't get enough water. I thought maybe it woudl come back in the spring. Nothing yet. How do I know if it's completely dead? thanks [tears]

by Buglady on April 16, 2006 02:19 PM

you can cut a branch or scrape it with your nail and see if you see green.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

by tkhooper on April 16, 2006 07:57 PM

I just bought a rosemary and I planted it outside. I have my fingers crossed big time that it will like it there and grow nice and big. I've tried them indoors before and boy howdy that didn't work at all. And I never could sprout them from seed. So this is the next attempt at rosemary.

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by tkhooper on April 17, 2006 07:21 AM

Here's a picture of my rosemary.

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by rucrazy on April 21, 2006 06:51 AM

Thanks, Suzanne.
I just snapped a few twigs and they are pretty dry. I guess that is the end of that one, right?
Can rosemary be propagated from cuttings?

by peppereater on April 21, 2006 07:34 AM

Everything I've read indicates Rosemary is best propagated from cuttings...I've not tried it yet, I was waiting to get specific info, but I may try 4 to 6 inch cuttings, with the bottom 1/3rd of leaves plucked off, in a mix of peat and sand. I don't use rooting hormone, but that would help a great deal, I'm sure.
tk...is that one hangin' in there? I've had great luck with RM plants when sold in small pots like that. Not finicky at all. Just well drained soil and don't overwater. I've never fed mine aside from amending soil when planting. Mine here at home is 3 feet tall, 2 and 1/2 feet wide and has flowered now for 3 months! Still flowering.

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!

by Buglady on April 21, 2006 09:39 AM

for rosemary cuttings

Use 50/50 peat moss, perlite mixed. Also you want to put them on a heat mat to keep the bottoms warm. You want warm bottoms and cool tops. I would also use a rooting hormone for semi-hardwood cuttings.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

by rucrazy on April 21, 2006 10:37 AM

What is a heat mat and where do I get one? [flower]

by Buglady on April 21, 2006 10:56 AM

here is one from Amazon heat mat

There are many different sizes and from different companies. You can just search the net, or try eBay. They are worth the investment. You can cut your propagation time greatly with them.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

by peppereater on April 21, 2006 12:21 PM

Thanks, Buglady!

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!

by tkhooper on April 30, 2006 01:32 AM

Alkaline soil. I bet that's my problem this time then. The rosemary plant that I bought is out there dying on me. Grrrrrh. I may just have to keep buying that spice and leave growing it to someone else. I never have any luck with it.

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