On Thu, 6 Oct 2011 Sacha wrote:

I grow Rosmarinus 'Severn Sea', which Jekka McVicar's site call
"frost
hardy". However, it has survived in my garden for 4-5 years, despite
the heavy snowfall and frosts of the last two winters. It is on heavy
clay, but at the front of a retaining wall, perhaps similar to your
intended site. The wind often whips it and tosses it back on itself,
so it is fairly exposed. There was a tiny bit of damage last year, but
the plant is doing well. It has the most beautiful blue flowers
But we lose it here, due more to wet than cold, probably. I don't
think
we'd ever call it hardy and -15C is an unattainable dream!
Then I shall count myself lucky that I can keep it, London clay
and all. Although it's at the bottom of a steepish bank, where you
would expect water to collect, the last 3 courses of the retaining
wall are not mortared, so drainage is good. Obviously, that's the key.
It must be, I would think. Theoretically, we're warmer here than in
your area but also much wetter, so I suspect that's the real killer,
or at least the initial one.

PS - sort of. I should have said that Rosmarinus Marenca came through
last winter with us, hanging over a wall. But it did show signs of
frost damage and did recover. But we got to -7C one or two nights,
nothing like -15C. I can't think of a Rosemary that will do that but
I'd love to know of it when Emery finds it!

I think that Bob's photo of the rosemary in France is lovely - wish I'd
got one. I have some lowish walls in Normandy and this year we planted
some Mexican Fleabane which is doing very well. Didn't know about the
Fleabane until we saw some outside Llandaff Cathedral last year. Now
we're seeing it everywhere, especially in France along the banks of the
Sarthe at Sablé.

But I need some help here in Reading with a Rosemary which is a
bog-standard one. It must be at least twenty years old and I've let it
get out of hand by not pruning it and now look at it:

http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk/photos/Rosemary.jpg

It was a reasonable shape (although too big for the situation) until
last winter when the snow weighed it down. I thought the snow would kill
it off but, no, not a bit of it. It is still growing strongly but did
not recover its shape, hence the mess you see in the photo.

What can I do? Options:

1. Pull it out and start again with a new one?

2. Prune it back? But then it won't grow out again from the base, will
it?

3. Prune some of it back? This last is what I thought I would do but (a)
I've still got a straggly shrub, and (b) it might kill it off anyway.

I don't want to start all over again as I use quite a lot of it in
cooking. However I must do something as I can't reach the vine growing
on the wall above it. And, anyway, I'm ashamed of the sight of it!

Any suggestions will be most welcome.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk