The Seemingly Harmless Mistake To Avoid With Garden Rosemary (And What To Do Instead)

Rosemary is a great plant to have in your garden. When you are cooking, it is always nice to have some fresh herbs on hand, and your garden is a great place to have them ready to go!  You can also transform fresh rosemary into a mosquito repellant or try out other DIYs with this herb. However, there is one seemingly harmless mistake that people make with their rosemary plants – - dividing them. House Digest spoke exclusively with Tiffany Selvey, House Digest's Garden Editor and in-house Master Gardener, to learn more about this mistake and what to do instead.

"A single rosemary plant grows as a woody bush," Selvey explained, "It's not like some other herbs that are comprised of multiple root systems, like parsley or basil where each stem grows from a single seed. To divide rosemary, you'd have to cut a main stem in half, which would kill the plant." Wonder what you should do instead? Selvey has an answer to that question, too.

Now, this is not to say that you shouldn't have multiple rosemary plants in your garden. It's the fragrant herb you'll want to add to your garden to deter wasps or the gift you'll want to share with a neighbor who is starting their own garden. But, if you can't divide the rosemary bush, what should you do? During House Digest's exclusive interview with Tiffany Selvey, she offered some of her advice.

"Growing from seed is always an option, but it can be difficult to get woody herbs to germinate," Selvey said. "The best method for propagating rosemary is rooting cuttings in water. Take softwood cuttings from new growth in the spring and root them in water before transferring them to soil. This practice usually has a pretty good success rate, but take extra cuttings because they probably won't all form roots." 

Once your rosemary cuttings have turned into their own plants, it's important to keep them healthy and happy. When House Digest Spoke exclusively with Tiffany Selvey, she shared her tips for growing rosemary plants. "Rosemary likes lean, well-draining soil. It really thrives in hot, rocky conditions, so try to replicate that as much as possible," Selvey shared.

If your garden holds too much moisture, you may need to try planting your rosemary in a container rather than directly in the dirt. "​​My garden is dense clay, which holds water," Selvey shared. "Rosemary plants don't like that, so I grow it in a large container with a mixture of top soil, peat, and sometimes vermiculite. Most importantly, if you're growing rosemary in a container, make sure it has plenty of drainage holes. Place it in a spot in full sun. If you're growing rosemary in a region that experiences hard freezes, USDA Hardiness Zones 7 and colder, you'll need to overwinter it indoors." Although at first it may seem challenging, before long, you will be a pro at growing rosemary in your garden. And, if you love this herb, why not add others to your yard? There are at least 15 herbs perfect for growing in your backyard garden.