Guv's Gardens
Photo: Miguel Angel Masegosa MartÃnez, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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- Sun
- Full sun.
- Soil
- Free-draining; tolerates poor soil.
- Soil pH
- Varies; tolerates a wide range (about 5.5-8.0).
- Water
- Low once established (drought-tolerant); water new plants.
- Hardiness
- All Australian climate zones; best in hot, dry climates. Protect from harsh frosts.
- Height and spread
- Upright forms to about 1.5 m; prostrate forms 20-30 cm.
Guv's tipRosemary tolerates poor soil but needs it free-draining, or you'll get root rot. Trim after flowering, never into old bare wood.
Through the year
Timings are for temperate Australia. Tropical and arid gardens follow different seasons.
When to plant
Spring to autumn.
Harvest or flowering
Peak flowering late spring-summer, sporadically year-round; harvest year-round.
Pruning
Trim after flowering; avoid cutting into old bare wood.
Making more plants
Cuttings (softwood or semi-ripe) or layering.
Watch out for
Root rot in wet soil
Waterlogging-related root rots (e.g. Phytophthora spp.).Look for: Wilting, browning and collapse in poorly drained or overwatered soil.
What to do: Plant in free-draining soil or raised beds or pots; avoid overwatering.
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA); Cats Protection lists rosemary as safe for cats.
Weed risk: Not listed as a weed on Weeds Australia or the Queensland restricted invasive plant list.
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the UK and the USA.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 Australia plants in one book.
