Hi, I'm having trouble determining the difference between creeping and upright rosemary. I would like to purchase the upright variety, but how can you tell the difference? The botanical name is the same. I bought a flat of it, but then found out it was the creeping kind and returned it. Please give me the inside scoop on the best kind to hunt for. Thanks a bunch, Christina :~)
Rosemary, Creeping vs. Upright
Some of the common upright cultivars are Arp, Albus, Benenden Blue, Collingwood Ingram, Corsicus, Majorca, Roman Vivace, Erectus, Tuscan Blue. The nursery should be able to tell you if it is prostrate or upright. The DG plant files should tell you which will grow well in your area.
How low does the prostrate kind grow? I guess I could look that up, but I'm lazy today.
Ha. Like I'm not lazy every day.
I'm sure it varies with the variety, but I've seen prostrate rosemary that was just a couple of inches high, with branches that just twist along at ground level... beautiful as a ground cover, or hanging over a wall, or in a basket.
thanks, I knew someone would hop and know the answer! I'll take the list to the nursery. I like to have the information on my own, since the advice isn't always as good as you'd hope.
BTW, don't forget to do quick lookups in PlantFiles!
Here's Prostrate Rosemary, with some great photos.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/58699/index.html
That's actually what got me so confused! There were a bunch of rosemary files, yet they almost all said Rosmarinus officinalis. This was what the flat of rosemary was called, so I wasn't seeing the difference. Thank you
Rosemarinus officinalis covers both types. I don't know how low prostrate stays but I am training ( or attempting to train ) one plant to grow around a small hoop. Cnswift, I am sure the ones I listed are but a small selection. A good way to do this would be shop the nursery for the cultivars they stock. Write down the names, then study the plant files and select the one or ones you want to sample... I have also noticed a little different flavor. The upright has more of a heavy flavor. The prostrate is delicate. I don't know the cultivar on either one ~ sorry... pod
I picked one up today. It wasn't any of the ones on your list, but it said it was an upright variety so I that sounded perfect. I'll put it in the earth tomorrow. :)
Great! Best wishes. I enjoy mine daily, if not in cooking, I touch and smell... : )) pod
The smell is so awesome; I love it too. I often get little rosemary christmas trees during the holidays, just so I can have that yummy smell in my home.
I love rosemary, and continue to buy and plant it, and only have one survivor - it's in a pot with sage and thyme (just add parsely and I'd have a song!) Everyone around here has huge luxurious clumps of rosemary (well, downtown not *here*) and I can't get it to grow!!!
Rosemary is my favorite herb, but I can't figure out what to do to make it grow. Any suggestions? And where can I buy creeping rosemary? I have a LOT of room to fill out back and I'd love to get that, *if* I can make it grow. It's very shady and moist back where I'm planning right now.
Thanks for any advice!
-Sunny
Sunny ~ In our area, I was told to keep it in fairly austere conditions. It is sandy, mostly dry, watering sparingly and up against the house to offer winter protection. They recommend full sun to high shade. Arp is a very hardy upright type. I don't recall where I found the prostrate. Again, I think it prefers dry soil. Did you lose yours in the summer or winter? Perhaps someone else has some better suggestions or ideas?
I keep mine (2) in full sun but do not let the soil dry completely. They are growing well.
Podster,
I just lost mine this week :( It was in a clay strawberry pot by itself - and it looks like it just dried up and withered in like 2 days. And I had it out for the rains we've had this week. I had thought it was a drier herb, like lavender (which I wrestle with and have minimal success) and sage.
Anyway, I'll try again. I'm going to look for some of that prostrate type. My soil is pretty heavy in clay, even after amending. Some things do fantastic, other things do so-so, and um, a few die deader than a doornail. That's why I hesitate to spend more than about six bucks for a plant. I hate to burn money...LOL. I'm going to have to start scounting Goodwill again for pots, because I have the best luck with herbs in pots, rather than in the ground.
My marjoram has gone leggy and spotty too, but oregano, chives, basil, sage, thyme, pineapple sage, russian sage and one of the two potted rosemary's are doing okay. I have new basil babies that I am trying the "pinch" thing on; I hate to do it...LOL. I planted some purple basil, but the seed must have been bad because my Thai and my cinnamon both came up, but that one didn't.
I'll keep trying :) I do good at veggies, but this flower and herb thing is a bit more challenging!
Thanks for your input.
-Sunny
Sunny Spider is close to your zone and keeps it moist so what works for me may be different in your area. Hang in there, I do the majority of plants in pots with better success. These plants I just wanted to try in the ground and so far they are still alive. A favorite reference book on herbs says to make a crushed eggshell cocktail blended with water to treat the rosemary to a special drink occasionally. I mixed some eggshell into the soil around the plants. You will do well to look for favored plants in your area. Good Luck pod
Thanks podster. I always have eggshells but usually run them through the disposal. I'll try that one on my new procurement when we go shopping tomorrow, as well as see if it helps the one that's kind of dormant in one of my pots.
I recall reading somewhere that you can use eggshells like DE for slugs too, but I haven't seen too many slugs around here.
-Sunny
Heres a prostrate form of Rosemary I grow in a container.
Sorry don't know the name.
Cottage_Rose ~ that is lovely. I put mine in the ground and seeing yours makes me want to dig it up and repot it. Do you find it needs much water? pod
It looks like a sea creature reaching out for things! I can't wait for mine to get big now too.
Since Rosemary isn't hardy here and I love it so I decided to try over wintering one in a pot and this plant is now 3 years old. It sets on my east porch all summer. It must be happy since to blooms on and off year round. I water it almost daily in the summer when its outside since it dries out faster but in the winter maybe it gets watered about once a week.
Yours is really pretty Cottage Rose :) I have 3 new ones, a pink, a white and a purple that I picked up on sale this weekend. They are all going to go into clay pots with pebbles on the bottom for good drainage. If they make it through the winter, then I'll try one in the ground come spring.
I also picked up a huge and cheap Lavender, Provence - but it surely doesn't smell very much. I have two other lavenders that are just barely staying alive. I don't think I have them in good pots for lavender, so I'm going to transplant them into clay pots also.
I hope I can keep these babies alive this time!!!
~Sunny