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- remember to plant rosemary now
- remember to plant rosemary now - lk July 8, 2008, 22:54:25
- I just planted Gorizia - Joe K July 9, 2008, 9:51:02
« Back to thread - I just planted Gorizia - Joe K July 9, 2008, 9:51:02
Posted by lk on July 8, 2008, 22:54:25
Remember to plant rosemary!
It is that time of the year when things slow down a bit for me and I can ‘play in the garden’ a bit more. I want to dig out a few sections of the herb garden and plant more rosemary. I just love this fragrant, timeless beautiful herb. It has delighted gardeners for thousands of years with its fetching fragrance. I long remember hearing that the hand that gathers rosemary retains much of its fragrance and it indeed a scent that you will not forget. The famous quote that we most of hear is ‘Rosemary for remembrance ‘. If you have never grown rosemary, get a few now and grow one in a patio pot to bring in and plant the other in a sunny sheltered spot.
Rosemary is a member of the Labiatae or mint family, and it grows as an evergreen perennial shrub in mild-wintered zones. Its Latin name is Rosmarinus officinalis and it is said to originate in the Mediterranean area.
Rosemary needs a sunny well-drained place in the garden, but it also needs good watering. Always water very well so that the water goes down deeply, thus drawing the roots down. Shallow frequent watering makes lazy, shallow roots that will freeze quickly in winter. Always mix in some good compost in sandy soil when you plant rosemary. Mulch very lightly as the plant likes to dry out sometimes. Since most herbs do not need excessive feeding I give our plants a scattering of 14-14-14 osmocote time-release fertilizers each may. If the plant looks nice and green all summer I don’t usually feed again, however it is looks yellow or is in a pot I feed again around July 4. Outdoor plants should not be fed after mid august as it will encourage tender new growth.
There are many rosemary on the market, many look and smell similar to the novice the most part, but some are said to be hardier that others. Here are just a few of the rosemary I usually grow:
"Rosemary ‘Arp’, Rosemary ‘Barbeque’ Rosemary 'Blue Lagoon'" " Rosemary 'Gorizia', Rosemary 'Hill’s Hardy’, Rosemary 'Pine Scented Rosemary 'Sal's Choice', Rosemary 'Salem,'Rosemary 'Santa Barbara' "Rosemary 'Shady Acres’, Rosemary 'Tuscan Blue’, Rosemary Prostrata’ and Rosemary Spice Island” It is often said that Hill’s hardy, Salem, Gorizia and Arp are some of the toughest and most hardy of all. They are winter hardy to zero for very short periods of time. Most people in our zone 7 can grow rosemary plants outside all year if they are well sited or rather planted along a foundation or in an especially protected place.
The two Rosemary that were picked as promising plants this year by the Herb Society of America are Gorizia and Shady Acres. Both are very fragrant with blue blooms. Gorizia is fairly new for us, it was discovered by Tom DeBaggio near the border between Italy and Slovakia at the foot of the Alps. Its huge ( for rosemary) broad leaves are twice the size of "Garden Rosemary". Light blue flowers in spring-summer are also larger than other Rosemaries. DeBaggios describe flavor as "gentle, sweet and a bit gingery” . The Shady acres plant is a great culinary herb with a lot of flavor and a heavy aroma. It began at the Minnesota nursery of the same name grown by Theresa Mieseler an Herb Society of America member.
In most northern areas rosemary needs to be either brought in to a cool, bright area during winter or planted in a protected outdoors site. Outdoor plants can have good mulch such as pine needles or leaves or shredded roots. During very severe weather a wind barrier such as burlap or frost cloth will help during the bad weather spell. Since it needs good air circulation, fresh air is a must and plastic covers are deadly to it. Many people find it thrives in an unheated porch, plant room or even near a sliding glass door. Although it doesn't like to be wet and soggy, it needs water and thrives in a moist but well drained potting soil in a clay pot.
I love the plants so much that I often have one the front porch till January where it greets all who visit and another in my dining room bay window. Both do well as long as I remember to water them. Although Rosemary doesn't like to sit in muddy, soggy soil, it really likes to be moist. So a moist, but well drain soil works best. This is easiest to attain in a clay pot, with a saucer under it to catch water. Always water till the water runs out of the pot to be sure all roots are moistened. Since I use time-release fertilizer like osmocote on potted plants they get some food when watered. As for my outside plants, some years they live and other years they don’t, but there is always next year. I am planting many of them now so they can become well established now.
There are many legends about the rosemary plant. Some have to do with marriage and the symbol of fidelity for lovers. It also has a reputation for strengthening the memory. On this account it became the emblem of fidelity for lovers. Thus in many places it was put in bridal hair wreaths and bouquets, often with myrtle, lavender and rosebuds. There were quite a few sprigs of it in the fresh hair wreath my daughter in law wore when she married our son.
So use this versatile herb on chicken, pork and lamb or roasted with garlic and potatoes. Decorate with it at Christmas when its fragrance will greet all in your home. Remember that
During the Middle Ages it was often strewn on floors or burned in the sick room. Judges held small bundles because it was thought to protect them from the plague if they breathed through the rosemary stems. People even burned rosemary then and inhaled the smoke to ward off sickness. Even now there is noting quite as clean and fresh as the fragrance of fresh rosemary. So remember plant some Rosemaries now so they will become established before winter.
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