Rosemary has a long, and sometimes entertaining history.  Throughout time, it has been cultivated widely, and there is an old belief that if the Rosemary is growing well in the home garden, the woman of the house rules. There are stories of kings and lords stealing outside to injure the plant to cover up the evidence.......My personal Rosemary plant is gorgeous this year......in case you wondered    :)

Rosemary is a perennial evergreen shrub with needle-like leaves.  The light-colored, scaly bark and leaves give an overall grayish-green appearance to the plant.  Outdoors in favorable conditions it can grow to 6 feet high by 4-5 feet wide.  It can be grown indoors but is not the easiest container plant, because the roots are susceptible to root rot with too much watering and if under-watered it dries out quickly and dies.  It prefers well drained soil and full sun and propagates easily by cuttings placed in a glass of water or moist sand or sterile rooting mix.

Rosemary is one of the herbs that can be used in topiaries.  It lends itself well to pruning and shaping, and makes a wonderful smelling table centerpiece or windowsill plant with proper care.  Please see the picture below of a Christmas tree-shaped Rosemary plant that I found for 7 bucks at Wal-Mart this season.  

Rosemary makes a good companion plant for other herbs and vegetables.  See Companion Planting for more information.  As a seasoning, Rosemary is both strong and subtle.  It is a pungent herb with a slightly piny, minty, ginger combination of flavors.  It goes well with just about any meat or fish, especially when roasted.  It enhances cheeses, eggs, many vegetables, and other herbs including Chives, Thyme, Chervil, Parsley, and Bay in recipes.

 

 

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