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How to Grow Rosemary: Planting, Pruning, and Harvesting This Hardy Herb

green rosemary bush, many branches are randomly arranged. fresh seasoning
Image Credit:
Andrei Metelev
Botanical Name
Salvia rosmarinus (aka Rosmarinus officinalis)
Grown as
Tender Perennial
USDA Zones
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
10a
10b
11a
11b
Toxicity
Non-toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Low
Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Soil pH
Neutral
Alkaline
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Blue
Purple
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Cut Flower
Disease-Resistant
Erosion Control
Evergreen
Fragrant
Low Maintenance
Winter Interest
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Drought-Tolerant
Heat-Tolerant
Salt Tolerant
Plant Type
Herbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Looking to add some flavor to your garden and your dinner? Rosemary’s got you covered. This hardy herb is an overachiever of the plant world—aromatic, drought-tolerant, bee-friendly, and stylish enough to double as landscaping. 

Whether you’re planting it in pots or the ground, we’ll show you how to grow, prune, and harvest rosemary like a seasoned pro!

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a compact, small to medium-sized woody shrub; there’s also a trailing variety. This shrubby herb is a type of sage and grows well with other Mediterranean herbs, such as lavender and thyme. It has lovely blue flowers as well, attracting pollinators!

Buy Seeds Now

Drought-tolerant, rosemary grows best in warm areas, similar to its native shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In these conditions, rosemary can grow into a shrub 5 to 10 feet in height. Rosemary grows so vigorously in ideal conditions that it needs yearly pruning to keep it bushy.

This herb can be grown in the ground or in a pot. If you live in Zones 7 and warmer, it grows easily as a perennial evergreen shrub that lives for many years. Rosemary is hardy down to 15° to 23°F (-10° to -5°C), so it may need winter protection. In colder areas, rosemary should be grown in a pot and brought indoors for the winter.

When growing rosemary as a culinary herb, it’s best to harvest it in the spring and summer when it’s actively putting on new growth. Rosemary is a compact woody shrub. While all the leaves are technically edible, we usually only eat the tender leaves that form at the tips of new branches.

Planting

Plant in full sun in fast-draining soil; rosemary won’t tolerate being constantly wet. Ideally, the soil should be relatively fertile (mix in compost prior to planting to increase nutrient levels).

When to Plant Rosemary

  • Plant rosemary in spring well after the frosts have passed, once the soil is starting to warm up (around 70ºF or 21°C). In warmer climates, plant in spring or fall.
  • Most gardeners start rosemary from young plants bought at a nursery. This plant does not germinate easily from seed and seedlings are slow to grow.
  • However, if you have access to an established rosemary plant, rosemary is very easily started from cuttings.
  • If you wish to grow from seed indoors, just be aware it will take several years to grow the plant large enough to start harvesting.
  • Start seeds or cuttings indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. (See your local frost dates.) 

How to Plant Rosemary

  • Rosemary grows well in the ground or in containers. However, it does not like wet roots, so if your soil is heavy or wet, plant it in a pot or a raised bed. Also, rosemary does not transplant well from ground to container, so start in a pot if you plan to bring it inside (especially in colder climates).
  • Before planting in the ground, mix in several inches of organic matter, such as compost, to create nutritious, fertile soil.
  • In a pot, use a container mix, as rosemary needs a lighter-weight soil mix.
  • Space starter plants 2 to 3 feet apart; rosemary does not like being crowded.
  • If starting seeds or cuttings indoors, keep the soil moist while seeds germinate and roots develop. Seeds can take a long time to germinate (2 to 3 weeks), so don’t give up right away! Plant outside once the plant is 4 inches tall.

Rosemary plant with purple flowers

Growing

  • Keep the soil uniformly moist, allowing it to dry out between waterings. Be consistent; be careful not to overwater.
  • Rosemary shrubs growing in the ground do not need fertilizer, but a potted plant will run out of nutrition more quickly, so feed with an all-purpose balanced fertilizer after flowering.
  • Mulch the shrubs to keep plants insulated in winter, but keep mulch away from the crown of the plant to avoid rotting.
  • Prune annually before new growth begins in the spring, and prune out dead wood. Don’t prune the rosemary too heavily.
  • If you leave rosemary unpruned, it can get very woody, leggy, and straggly. After about 5 years, it’s best to replace it.
  • Be sure to get cuttings or divide the plant for next season if it won’t survive winter in your area.
  • During the winter, bring potted rosemary plants inside. Learn how to overwinter rosemary indoors.

Rosemary plants

Harvesting

  • While rosemary is an evergreen that can be harvested at any time, it’s best to harvest young stems and leaves for the freshest taste. The plant puts on soft new tips in the spring and summer.
  • The leaves and stems get tougher and more woody as they age. The older tips are best for infusing things with flavor or scent, rather than eating. Try making rosemary vinegar!
  • Even the flowers are edible, with a slightly sweeter flavor. Add to salads or dishes as a garnish.
  • Snip off stems, while keeping an eye on maintaining an attractive shape to the plant. Don’t harvest more than a third of the rosemary at any one time.
  • To dry rosemary, hang it upside down in bunches in a dark, warm place. Once stems are dry, strip the leaves from them and store in a sealed jar.

Pests and Problems

  • Aerial blight
  • Bacterial leaf spots
  • Several types of root rot

Wit and Wisdom

  • In the garden, plant rosemary near beans, cabbage, carrots, and sage. Learn more about companion planting with herbs.
  • Rosemary tea is said to enhance one’s memory. Wear a sprig of rosemary in your hair to improve your memory.
  • In the language of flowers, rosemary symbolizes remembrance.
  • A sprig of lavender or rosemary under your ironing board cover will release its fragrance with the heat.

The Many Uses of Rosemary

Enjoy this video showing the rosemary plant—and its many uses as a helper in the garden, kitchen, and healing home!

Herbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening, so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Paula Plishka</span> Sat, 02/08/2014 - 15:14
How do I prune this?At this point it isn't going to hurt it as I have very little live stuff left :-( Do I just take off all the dead "leaves" (they aren't really leaves, but you know what I mean). I can just take my hand and run it down the branches and the dried things just fall off. I need to know how or what to do before I just toss the whole thing in the garbage! Thanks.
<span>Paula Plishka</span> Sun, 01/26/2014 - 16:31
How do I prune it? Do I take the whole branch off the dried parts? Or just take the "leaves" which aren't really leaves off?
<span>Trisha H</span> Sun, 01/12/2014 - 18:35
I have two rosemary bushes that are three years old. They were planted about half way down the east side of a 14 foot waterfall. We had so much rain this past summer that even though they are on a hill and drainage is great, it was too much for them and they drowned. I pruned them back drastically because they were brown and starting to mold. Will they come back this spring? Or, should I dig them out and start over with new plants? Currently there are foot long stalks with very little leaves though a few branches did survive...
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 01/14/2014 - 12:10

Wait and see how they are doing in the spring. You may have to consider a new drier location if you buy new plants.

 <span>Texasmike</span> Mon, 01/06/2014 - 07:10
I have had Rosemary plants outside for about 10 years. I live in East Texas where we have mild winters, but we do have some cold weather, it is 20 degrees out this morning. I have a hedge of Rosemary on the side of my parking pad, about 20 feet long and use it as a landscape hedge and love it. I prune it once a year to keep it in shape and that is all I have ever done to it. I have been rooting cuttings to form into little trees to give out next Christmas as gifts to friends.
<span>Charles Branton</span> Sun, 10/20/2013 - 13:08
We live in West Central Texas. My 3 year old Rosemary plant is growing in the ground, not in a pot, in mildly acidic loamy soil outside, in full sun. It is thriving and beautiful but has never bloomed, consequently never produced seed. What might be the problem, or is there a problem? We would like to try re-propagating the plant from seed.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 10/21/2013 - 18:14

Some rosemary varietes don't flower well.  They like poor soil. Hold off any fertilizer and use a bit of bonemeal.

To propagate rosemary, you would grow it from a cutting (versus seed). Use healthy shoot tips that are about 4 inches long. Trim off the lower leaves and cut cleanly beneath a leaf joint. Dip cut end into rooting hormone powder.
Fill a pot with compost mix and firm gently leaving a 1cm (1/2in) gap between the top of the compost and the pot.

Use five or six cuttings around the edge of the pot filled with compost mix up to 1/2-inch from the top of the pot.
Secure a clear plastic bag around the pot. An elastic band will hold it in place.
Cuttings should have rooted within eight weeks and can then be potted into individual pots.

 <span>Georgewilson</span> Wed, 12/03/2014 - 11:39
Though it's true that several rooting powder/solution bottles warn against using on edibles,there is probably no ill effects to our health from using the powder/solution in small amounts. Most edible plants root well without using any powders or hormones. There are several homemade alternatives to rooting powders/solutions.
<span>Ckagan</span> Sat, 11/29/2014 - 16:12
Most hormone rooting powders carry a warning NOT to use it on plants that are for human consumption. Please check the bottle before using the powder to root rosemary to be used in cooking. Penn State Master Gardener
<span>Another Kim</span> Wed, 10/02/2013 - 21:41
I live in Southern AZ. Fall is our planting season so I'm putting a rosemary in the ground this week. We rarely get freezes here. Should I just cover it when they do happen? Our summers get extremely hot, 100 and above. Should I use shade cloth then? My soil is alkaline, but it's clay, will digging in compost be enough for growing Rosemary?