A nice touch to your garden

Overview

There's nothing like filling your kitchen with the aroma of fresh herbs. Rosemary is a standard addition to chicken dishes, pastas and potatoes. Instead of frequent trips to the store, plant a rosemary bush right in your yard. They are hearty plants that are easy to maintain and they reward you with an earthy, mouthwatering flavor.

Getting Started

Step 1

It is possible to start your rosemary bush with seeds, but the germination process can be long and difficult. Consider buying a cutting from your local nursery instead.

Step 2

Remove the bottom leaves from your cutting and dip into a rooting hormone, which can also be purchased at the nursery. Then place the cutting into a small container of damp seed starting mix that contains peat moss.

Step 3

Put the container in a spot where it will enjoy indirect sunlight and spray water on the cuttings daily and be sure that the soil is not overly dry.

Step 4

After about three weeks, test for the growth of the roots and subsequently transfer your rosemary cuttings into individual pots.

Transfer Your Plant to the Garden

Step 1

While you keep your rosemary as a houseplant, many gardeners will relocate the growing shrub outdoors. When planting, choose a spot that gets full sun to partial shade. Rosemary shrubs can grow in practically any type of soil and they can withstand droughts.

Step 2

Plant your rosemary at any time and dig down at around the same depth that they were in their pots. Space at least 2 feet around each plant.

Step 3

Rosemary plants to not need watering often, but if the weather is especially hot or if the it looks like it is starting to wilt soak the soil. Rosemary also does well with a frequent spray down to ward of insects and other pests that may nest within the sprigs.

Maintenance and Care

Step 1

Your rosemary plant can get big. Don't hesitate to bring out the pruning sheers to cut back growth.

Step 2

Harvest the leaves and use them fresh in your homemade dishes. You may also snip off sprigs to dry by spreading on a baking sheet, or by hanging them.

Step 3

Rosemary has also been used for medicinal purposes such as treating headaches and stomachaches as well as in herbal teas.