Rosemary + cvs

Rosmarinus officinalis

Rosemary — *Rosmarinus officinalis ‘*Boule*‘*

Description

The common rosemary is a large evergreen shrub growing with upward growing branches and dense needle-like leaves. Mature and unclipped plants can reach 6-8 ft. high and spread 10-12 ft. across. These leaves are deep green above and whitish below. Showy clusters of small medium blue flowers occur in late winter and intermittently throughout the year. Foliage is valued as a food seasoning and contains oils that are used in perfumes, lotions and soaps; flowers attract birds and bees.

Rosemary is native to coastal foothills and islands in the Mediterranean region where it grows on dry hills and rocky soils among heath type vegetation. It is a very adaptable plant that endures heat, drought and poor soils throughout the Inland Empire. It is an essential member of the Classic Mediterranean Palette where it can be clipped as a hedge, arranged on slopes and for foundation plantings. More than two dozen cultivars are available from different nurseries that offer prostrate forms and deeper blue flower colors. One compact cultivar, R. o. ‘Boule’ has distinctive branching and texture appearance, mounds 2-3 ft. high and 2-3 ft. across and fits residential garden scale spaces better.

Plant Type: Shrub
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Upright, Mounding, Low-branching, Dense, Compact
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Dark green
Flower Color: Blue
Flower Season: Winter
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Rocky soil
Exposure Adaptations: Wind, Heat, Frost, Drought, Coastal salt air, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Slopes, Fragrant foliage, Screening, Rock gardens, Residential spaces, Raised planters, Parks and open space, Grouped, Foundations, Attracts butterflies, Foliage accent plant, Hedge, Flowering accent plant, Commercial spaces, Civic spaces, Borders, Banks, Background plant, Wildlife value, Attracts bees
Height: 4 ft. – 7 ft.
Width: 10 ft. – 12 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 2

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 2 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another two weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
To save water, in many cases you can go longer in between waterings during the winter, often up to 3-4 weeks between watering for well-established plants. Two weeks after watering, check the soil approximately 4” below the surface. If it is still significantly moist, you can wait longer before watering again.
In most cases, if you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, you may use these features to save some water in in the fall and winter. If you are using automatic weather adjusting functions, continue to allow the timer to run every two weeks. It will adjust the number of minutes it runs to account for the cooler weather.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

Prune lightly as desired any time of year to keep to desired shape or to keep ‘woody thatch’ from building up in lower areas that are shaded by upper branches (D,S). It even be clipped as a formal hedge with consistent light pruning, but is best used as a shrub or informal hedge, which is far less work. Different cultivars grow to very different heights and widths, from dwarf varieties which do not grow much larger than 1′ tall and wide, to large varieties that can be 6′ tall and wider than that. The key to having rosemary be a low maintenance plant in your garden is to choose a variety that fits the size of the space you want to put it in. You can prune anywhere along branches that have leaves on them, but do not cut below the lowest set of leaves or along bare wood on any branch because it will not resprout from these areas. For this reason, if a plant is getting larger than desired, it is best not to delay pruning (S). References

Rosemary + cvs

Description

Watering Schedule: Low 2

Important Notes

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