Hello

I have grown Rosemary in a large pot for many years during the summer
months, and have always thrown it away late Autumn, then bought a new plant
next spring.

I've just bought a new plant ( 'upright Rosemary' ) and I read on its label
that it can be grown into a bush up to 2 metres high !!

Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?, does
it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

Thanks

KK

dido22 wrote:
Hello

I have grown Rosemary in a large pot for many years during the summer
months, and have always thrown it away late Autumn, then bought a new
plant next spring.

I've just bought a new plant ( 'upright Rosemary' ) and I read on its
label that it can be grown into a bush up to 2 metres high !!

Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?,
does it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

The new growth tastes fine - if you like rosemary. Obviously the old
growth goes woody and forms attractive gnarled stems eventually. It is
winter hardy at least as far north as Newcastle but requires well
drained soil. Doesn't like wet feet in winter, but it tolerates our
Yorkshire clay reasonably well up against the garage wall.

There is a sort of white fungal thing that attacks leaf nodes of very
elderly rosemary (30y) killing off the odd stem but not really
affecting most of the plant. You can prune the dying bits out if that
happens. 1.5m high is closer.

It is always worth trying to overwinter things rather than throw them
out. The worst that can happen is that it goes on the compost heap later!

Regards,
Martin Brown

On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:12:58 -0000, "dido22"
wrote:


Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?, does
it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?


Yes to all three questions. It lived for about six years and was a
very attractive plant.

Steve

--
Neural Planner Software Ltd www.NPSL1.com

Neural network applications, help and support.

On 18 Mar, 13:51, Stephen Wolstenholme
wrote:
On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:12:58 -0000, "dido22"

wrote:
Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?, does
it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

Yes to all three questions. It lived for about six years and was a
very attractive plant.

Steve

--
Neural Planner Software Ltd * * * * * * * * *www.NPSL1.com

Neural network applications, help and support.
If you plant it close to a path then as it grows you brush against it
and get that lovely smell every time you pass, and you can take the
shoots growing over the path to use first.
David Hill

On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 dido22 wrote:

I have grown Rosemary in a large pot for many years during the summer
months, and have always thrown it away late Autumn, then bought a new
plant next spring.

I've just bought a new plant ( 'upright Rosemary' ) and I read on its
label that it can be grown into a bush up to 2 metres high !!

Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?,
does it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

Of course it does. I've had a rosemary bush in my garden for over twenty
years. The weight of the snow back in January caused it to bend over but
it recovered, is still going strong and is flowering at the moment. Cut
a couple of sprigs yesterday to cook with some lamb shanks.

David

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

Hello

I have grown Rosemary in a large pot for many years during the summer
months, and have always thrown it away late Autumn, then bought a new
plant next spring.

I've just bought a new plant ( 'upright Rosemary' ) and I read on its
label that it can be grown into a bush up to 2 metres high !!

Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?,
does it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

Thanks

KK

It may be Miss Jessop's Upright and some people use it as an informal
hedge. I think 2 metres is pushing it a bit, though. Where do you live?!
We have rosemarys that survive all winters, including this one and it's
usually regarded as pretty hardy. It's a shrub so take cuttings and
propagate new ones but there's no reason at all to throw it away each
year.
--
Sacha


My Rosemary is 10 years old and does not care what the weather does, I keep
it at about 1mtr. tall by light pruning and just take out any branches that
get in the way. It is just coming into flower now

kate

dido22 wrote:
Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?, does
it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

My mum has a huge rosemary plant outside her front door. I can confirm it
absolutely reeks if you rub your hand on it!

In article ,
David Rance wrote:
On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 dido22 wrote:

Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?,
does it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

Of course it does. I've had a rosemary bush in my garden for over twenty
years. The weight of the snow back in January caused it to bend over but
it recovered, is still going strong and is flowering at the moment. Cut
a couple of sprigs yesterday to cook with some lamb shanks.

A warning: many people find that rosemary is short-lived in the UK,
because it suffers from fungal root-rot. The trick is to layer it
after a few years, and carry on with the new plants if the main one
dies. All you have to do for the normal straggling forms is to
tuck a couple of stems just under the soil and put half a brick or
a comparable stone on them. DON'T cut them off, and just forget
them for a couple of years. You can then cut the stem between the
layer and the main plant, and dig the layer up to put somewhere else.
Or not, as you prefer - it can be left in place.

That's the easiest form of propagation known to gardeners, and works
with many straggling shrubs.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-18 13:12:58 +0000, "dido22" said:

Hello

I have grown Rosemary in a large pot for many years during the summer
months, and have always thrown it away late Autumn, then bought a new
plant next spring.

I've just bought a new plant ( 'upright Rosemary' ) and I read on its
label that it can be grown into a bush up to 2 metres high !!

Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?,
does it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

Thanks

KK

It may be Miss Jessop's Upright and some people use it as an informal
hedge. I think 2 metres is pushing it a bit, though. Where do you live?!
We have rosemarys that survive all winters, including this one and it's
usually regarded as pretty hardy. It's a shrub so take cuttings and
propagate new ones but there's no reason at all to throw it away each
year.
--
Sacha,
Do the different varieties smell different? I ask this because the rosemary
that I'm growing in a pot in my kitchen window has a stonger "medicinal"
smell than usual.
Graham

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-18 17:54:43 +0000, "graham" said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-18 13:12:58 +0000, "dido22" said:

Hello

I have grown Rosemary in a large pot for many years during the summer
months, and have always thrown it away late Autumn, then bought a new
plant next spring.

I've just bought a new plant ( 'upright Rosemary' ) and I read on its
label that it can be grown into a bush up to 2 metres high !!

Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?,
does it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

Thanks

KK

It may be Miss Jessop's Upright and some people use it as an informal
hedge. I think 2 metres is pushing it a bit, though. Where do you
live?!
We have rosemarys that survive all winters, including this one and it's
usually regarded as pretty hardy. It's a shrub so take cuttings and
propagate new ones but there's no reason at all to throw it away each
year.
--
Sacha,
Do the different varieties smell different? I ask this because the
rosemary
that I'm growing in a pot in my kitchen window has a stonger "medicinal"
smell than usual.
Graham

Not that I know of, Graham. What medium is it growing in?

I re-potted it in a standard potting soil which has quite a high "fibre"
content, presumably sphagnum.

We have several rosemaries and they just smell of rosemary. The
differences are in flower colour and growth habit and tenderness, too. Do
you know which yours is?

No. I think a lot is grown from seeds from the UK. I bought the plant at
the farmers' market from someone selling herbs in pots. My ~20yr old plant
had died and I bought the replacement on a whim. However, I've never seen
different named varieties in the nurseries. The plant breeders tend to
concentrate on breeding hardy varieties of the bigger stuff such as tree
fruits.

I wonder - and this is pure supposition on my part - if growing it indoors
in Canadian winters might affect it through lack of sunlight?

It's in a south facing bay window so is little different from a greenhouse.
I'm also on approximately the same latitude as Barnstaple! It will be
outside during the summer.

Perhaps it's age, *mine*!! Claret doesn't smell like the clarets I drank in
my 30s {:-(

Could the rosemary's normal flavour become more concentrated, as in a
dried herb?

I never dry it and never use dried rosemary. I would have thought the
flavour wouldn't be as strong in dried.

As a side note, I'd like to grow some heather. Is it available as seed?
Graham

On 03/18/2010 06:31 PM, wrote:
A warning: many people find that rosemary is short-lived in the UK,
because it suffers from fungal root-rot. The trick is to layer it

Yes, I find this even in a well drained (all is relative!) spot. I'm
afraid our 2 large -- maybe 1.5 meter -- bushes are all failing after
this winter. Project this weekend to perform major surgery.

-E

On 19 Mar, 08:13, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-03-18 21:30:33 +0000, "graham" said:







"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-18 17:54:43 +0000, "graham" said:

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-18 13:12:58 +0000, "dido22" said:

Hello

I have grown Rosemary in a large pot for many years during the summer
months, and have always thrown it away late Autumn, *then bought a new
plant next spring.

I've just bought a new plant ( 'upright Rosemary' ) and I read on its
label that it can be grown into a bush up to 2 metres high !!

Has anyone grown a Rosemary bush before?, does it survive the winter?,
does it smell & taste as good as a new plant does ?

Thanks

KK

It may be Miss Jessop's Upright and some people use it as an informal
hedge. *I think 2 metres is pushing it a bit, though. *Where do you
live?!
We have rosemarys that survive all winters, including this one and it's
usually regarded as pretty hardy. *It's a shrub so take cuttings and
propagate new ones but there's no reason at all to throw it away each
year.
--
Sacha,
Do the different varieties smell different? *I ask this because the
rosemary
that I'm growing in a pot in my kitchen window has a stonger "medicinal"
smell than usual.
Graham

Not that I know of, Graham. *What medium is it growing in?

I re-potted it in a standard potting soil which has quite a high "fibre"
content, presumably sphagnum.

We have several rosemaries and they just smell of rosemary. * The
differences are in flower colour and growth habit and tenderness, too. *Do
you know which yours is?

No. *I think a lot is grown from seeds from the UK. *I bought the plant at
the farmers' market from someone selling herbs in pots. *My ~20yr old plant
had died and I bought the replacement on a whim. *However, I've never seen
different named varieties in the nurseries. *The plant breeders tend to
concentrate on breeding hardy varieties of the bigger stuff such as tree
fruits.

I wonder - and this is pure supposition on my part - if growing it indoors
in Canadian winters might affect it through lack of sunlight?

It's in a south facing bay window so is little different from a greenhouse.
I'm also on approximately the same latitude as Barnstaple! *It will be
outside during the summer.

Barnstaple! *You're practically a Devonian. *;-)



Perhaps it's age, *mine*!! *Claret doesn't smell like the clarets I drank in
my 30s {:-(

This is true! *Things do seem to change when perhaps it's we who change!



Could the rosemary's normal flavour become more concentrated, as in a
dried herb?

I never dry it and never use dried rosemary. *I would have thought the
flavour wouldn't be as strong in dried.

On the whole, the general assumption is that dried herbs are stronger
in flavour, more concentrated but I have only used fresh rosemary from
our garden, with the exception of a herb mix I bought in Crete years
ago.



As a side note, I'd like to grow some heather. *Is it available as seed?
Graham

Yes, it can be grown from seed but I've never done it, so I don't know
what the success rate is.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I can't see why anyone would want to grow it from seed, Cuttings take
so easily.
Just as an experiment I bought a packet of fresh rosemary from Tesco,
it was "yellow stickied" so was not the freshest, and put all the
stems in as cuttings, the strike rate was well over 50%, giving me
around 12 plants for the princly sum of 10p.
Re the flavour, strength, I would have put it down to the weather, in
dry sunny times the oil would be more concentrated in the leaves.
David Hill

On 19 Mar, 09:47, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-03-19 09:12:50 +0000, Dave Hill said:





On 19 Mar, 08:13, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-03-18 21:30:33 +0000, "graham" said:

snip

As a side note, I'd like to grow some heather. Is it available as se
ed?
Graham

Yes, it can be grown from seed but I've never done it, so I don't know
what the success rate is.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I can't see why anyone would want to grow it from seed, Cuttings take
so easily.
Just as an experiment I bought a packet of fresh rosemary from Tesco,
it was "yellow stickied" so was not the freshest, and put all the
stems in as cuttings, the strike rate was well over 50%, giving me
around 12 plants for the princly sum of 10p.
Re the flavour, strength, I would have put it down to the weather, in
dry sunny times the oil would be more concentrated in the leaves.
David Hill

It's heather he'd like to try from seed, David. *Have you ever done
that? *I haven't but then I'm not that keen on heathers in gardens.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Typical age thing didn't notice the bit about Heathers.
I've never seen heather seed for sale, but thinking how many heather
seedlings used to grow from peat based compost it should be a
reasonable proposition.
The only seed I can find on offer is the wild Ling
David Hill

On 19 Mar, 10:06, Dave Hill wrote:
On 19 Mar, 09:47, Sacha wrote:





On 2010-03-19 09:12:50 +0000, Dave Hill said:

On 19 Mar, 08:13, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-03-18 21:30:33 +0000, "graham" said:

snip

As a side note, I'd like to grow some heather. Is it available as se
ed?
Graham

Yes, it can be grown from seed but I've never done it, so I don't know
what the success rate is.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I can't see why anyone would want to grow it from seed, Cuttings take
so easily.
Just as an experiment I bought a packet of fresh rosemary from Tesco,
it was "yellow stickied" so was not the freshest, and put all the
stems in as cuttings, the strike rate was well over 50%, giving me
around 12 plants for the princly sum of 10p.
Re the flavour, strength, I would have put it down to the weather, in
dry sunny times the oil would be more concentrated in the leaves.
David Hill

It's heather he'd like to try from seed, David. *Have you ever done
that? *I haven't but then I'm not that keen on heathers in gardens.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Typical age thing didn't notice the bit about Heathers.
I've never seen heather seed for sale, but thinking how many heather
seedlings used to grow from peat based compost it should be a
reasonable proposition.
The only seed I can find on offer is the wild Ling
David Hill- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Just found this on heathers from seed
http://www.heathersociety.org.uk/propagation.html
Now I must get out and work
David Hill

On 03/19/2010 09:09 AM, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-03-19 00:11:15 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On 03/18/2010 06:31 PM, wrote:
A warning: many people find that rosemary is short-lived in the UK,
because it suffers from fungal root-rot. The trick is to layer it

Yes, I find this even in a well drained (all is relative!) spot. I'm
afraid our 2 large -- maybe 1.5 meter -- bushes are all failing after
this winter. Project this weekend to perform major surgery.

-E

Do you think it's snow melt that's causing this problem? I ask because
I know of a few people who've had that problem with other plants in the
past. They're in free-draining spots but there's just too much moisture
to get rid of.

Hi Sacha,

I really don't know what causes it. But I've tried some _really_ dry
places. Currently they're against a south facing wall, quite near the
base, in a slightly raised bed. For sure they don't like great amounts
of snow, but I wonder if they weren't weakened the previous winter.

For the OP's sake, though, these have survived at -22C (well probably a
little above that because of the wall). Though as we all know there's a
lot of difference between surviving and thriving!

The great advantage when the rosemary gets really big is you can use
huge amounts with impunity. We very often grill over a wood fire in the
big kitchen fireplace; adding some rosemary branches at the end will
cause the coals to flame up and smoke like crazy, which gives a
wonderful smoked-rosemary flavour to meat.

-E