I have 3 rosemary bushes and 1 "trailing" rosemary bush (I am not sure if that is the right name or not). The bushes are taking over, and many of my friends want some. What is the best way to reduce the size of the bush?
rosemary bushes taking over
If you're thinking in terms of dividing it, I don't think you can really do that with rosemary.... although your trailing one may have "layered" itself, putting down roots where branches touch the soil, and those little divisions could be snipped apart from the mother plant & potted up.
You can prune rosemary, however... I think the rule of thumb is no more than 1/3 of the stem length should be removed. Half-hard cuttings can be rooted, although I personally have not had good luck with rosemary cuttings, but many folks manage it just fine. Hopefully somebody will have advice for you on rooting cuttings.
Thanks for the input. Will the pruning back keep the bush manageable in terms of size? I
You'll probably get a new branch point every place you prune... it'll get bushier, and yes, repeated prunings should get the size down. I wouldn't reduce the size by more than half, though, and I'd do it gradually.
Good luck!
I planted only one small rosemary plant several years ago and it is now four feet tall and six feet wide. I give away huge branches of it all the time to friends and neighbors for cooking, but I have not had any luck rooting cuttings. We did a hard trim late in the fall and it was pretty ugly for a while, but now is growing back to cover those areas. I will trim it differently in the future, more gradually. I love walking past it and touching it. The aroma is wonderful and makes my hands smell good for a long time. If anyone knows how to root cuttings, I'll be glad to send you some.
Diane
Somebody -- maybe vbsparky? -- posted a thread about a DIY "aeroclonor" device... said it worked well on lavender cuttings, so it might do the trick for rosemary cuttings also.
Found the thread over in the propagation forum.... http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/498781/
Here's some other info on rooting cuttings that I just reposted over in the propagation forum... hope it's helpful... http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/597232/
I find rosemary pretty easy to root with just rooting hormone and sticking them in the dirt. Maybe works for me because I do it in the fall and we have a long slow gradual temp reduction before it gets cold. Also, I don't try it in the spring...gets too hot too fast.
Debbie
I have one plant that was taking over.I wanted to reduce the width.Some of the branches were down to the ground on the sides.I mulch with leaves pretty thickly in the winter and many of the branches I was taking off had rooted in the leaf mold.Check to see if your bushes have some of these rooted branches.If not,try gently bending some of the branches so that they touch the ground and put something on the bent branch that will keep it there.
This message was edited May 1, 2006 6:03 AM
Thanks, Debbie! I'd been trying to root them in the spring, so I'll try fall cuttings this year!
actually critter--the fall's the only time I can get anything to root (or over the winter)...by the time April comes....it just gets too hot here. I think some Tx folks try real early spring (Jan-Feb) but I can't make it work!
Debbie
I'm going to check mine. I'm headed outside right now. If I can find some rooted ones, I will offer them up for anyone that wants them.
Diane
My thanks. I started pruning this past weekend and either giving away the cut pieces or placing them around my other plants as mulch. I too love the fragrance. I will try rooting them in the fall.
My bad back would not let me get down far enough to check for rooted sections, but don't give up yet. There are younger bodies around here that can look for me--I just have to catch them.
O.K.! I just wanted to say that as a Connecticut gardener I am so jealous! I wish I could grow Rosemary to the point of it taking over!
I pruned my rosemary and brought the cut pieces to work for people to cook with. One woman stuck it in water and it rooted. Just FYI. Maybe she has "the touch".