Rosemary

We had two kinds of rosemary in the garden, but the mint defeated it.  We are trying again soon.  We remember!

“Salvia rosmarinus, commonly known as rosemary, is a generally erect, rounded, evergreen shrub with aromatic, needle-like, gray-green leaves and tiny, two-lipped, pale blue to white flowers. It typically grows to 4-6’ tall in areas where it is winter hardy. The intensely fragrant foliage of this shrub is commonly harvested for a variety of purposes including culinary flavorings, toiletries and sachets. These plants also add excellent ornamental value to borders, herb gardens, patio areas and foundations both when grown in the ground and/or as container plants which are often brought indoors for overwintering. Rosemary is native to dry scrub and rocky places in the Mediterranean areas of southern Europe to western Asia. Gray-green, linear, needle-like leaves (to 1.5” long) are closely spaced on the stems and are very aromatic with a strong flavor. Tiny, two-lipped flowers bloom in axillary clusters along the shoots of the prior year’s growth. Where grown outdoors in USDA Zones 8-10, flowers typically bloom from January to April. Some sporadic additional bloom may occur in summer or fall, particularly if plants are trimmed after the late winter to spring bloom. Container plants overwintered indoors will typically bloom later (late spring into summer). Flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other insect pollinators. Synonymous with Rosmarinus Officinalis.

“The genus name Salvia comes from the Latin word salveo meaning “to save or heal”, in reference to the purported medically curative properties attributed to some plants in the genus.

“The specific epithet rosmarinus means “dew of the sea”, in reference to the native habitat of this species.

“The common name rosemary was drawn from the specific epithet, although rosmarinus does not mean “rose of Mary”.” (MBG)