Rosemary ( Salvia rosmarinus ) is one of those herbs that maturate all year long in the right conditions , which is good news show for those of us who love using it as a seasoning in our favorite dish .
The name “ rosemary ” is moderately in itself , but waitress until you read about its roots : “ ros , ” Latin for “ dew , ” and “ marinus ” for “ sea ” results in combination in the poetic sobriquet “ dew of the ocean . ”
This name references the herb ’s aboriginal growth habitat on rough coastline along the Mediterranean Sea .
Photo by Felicia Lim.
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Luckily for us , this evergreen perennial in the mint family , Lamiaceae , develop excellently in container .
With its piney odoriferous acerate leaf - like leaves and soft flush of blue , purple , or pink flowers in the spring , it make a grand increase to any container garden .
Photo by Felicia Lim.
In this scout , we ’ll cover how to grow rosemary in containers .
Here ’s the lineup :
What You’ll Learn
Why Grow Rosemary in a Container ?
choose the Right Container
How to Grow
Cultivars to choose
Pests and Disease
Best Uses
Rosemary is best suit to cultivation inUSDA Hardiness Zones7 - 10 , and if you live in Zones 5 and 6 you could evenfind a wintertime - hardy varietyto develop outdoors yr - round .
Otherwise , you have to turn the plant as an annual , see your dead healthy and robust plant succumb to nature when the conditions turn cold .
Unless , that is , you ’re acquire it in a container and can simply move it indoors !
Since I live in Zone 4 , that ’s what I do with my dew of the sea . I care to typeset it on my front porch in the summer alongside my lavender . The two fragrant herbs provide a lovely background whether I ’m coming or lead .
If you do n’t have quad in your garden , do n’t have a large out-of-door garden in the first plaza , or simply do n’t have a K at all , grow rosemary in container is an excellent choice .
The herb is anideal indoor plantfor urban dwellers .
WhileS. rosmarinusis a stout , robust works , you ’ll require to choose a container that provides optimum growing conditions . For a youthful plant , choose one that ’s at least six to eight column inch wide and thick .
As a linguistic rule of quarter round , there should be at least an inch of space in between the side of the container and the tooth root ball .
Your container can be made of charge plate , terra cotta , stone , vinyl , orwhatever material you desire .
The most important thing is to make certain it has tolerable drainage holes . regard using a drainage dish if you ’re keeping it on a porch or patio so that the body of water does n’t debilitate out right away onto the surface and stimulate damage .
Rosemary start losing verve quickly when its root sit in water system , and when it becomes rootbound , it ca n’t assimilate water and nutrients properly . A tummy that run out well is a must .
occupy your chosen container with porous , well - draining potting territory . An organic cactus andsucculent soilworks well , orregular potting soilamended with one third perlite or detergent builder ’s sand .
This abject maintenance herb is happiest in a full sun location , but part tincture works too , specially in raging climates .
If you live in a warm , humid area , you could put the container in a location that get spook during the hot parts of the day .
depend on the size of it of your Mary Jane or plantation owner , take into account the top in of soil to dry out out between waterings . In the case of belittled pots , provide water when the top half - inch of soil is dry .
Once install , rosemary is fairly drought tolerant , what it ca n’t suffer is oversaturation .
Rosemary does n’t call for plant food in parliamentary law to thrive , but you may implement a top binding of well - aged compost in outpouring . If the leaf tips look dry out and yellowed after the winter , fertilize once in the leap with a balanced 10 - 10 - 10 NPK fertilizer .
If you need multiple plants , considerstarting your own from seeds or cuttings .
See our complete rosemary growing guide for more tips .
Pruning and Maintenance
Every year or two , you ’ll need to either cut back the roots of your industrial plant or repot it into a bombastic container .
Are the source sticking out of the drain hole ? Is H2O taking a long time to drain through the soil ? These are signaling that it ’s time for a root trim or new pot .
To prune the plant ’s roots , carefully remove the plant life from the pot . Take a twain ofpruning shearsor a knife and cut off the bottom third of the root ball . Make two or three perpendicular cut from the bottom of the stem ball and cut about a third of the direction up the plant life .
Repot in a big container that take into account for that one - inch - on - all - sides rule , or in the same one if you ’ve trimmed enough roots .
Repot the plant with fresh pot mix and urine good .
To keep their shape , prune plants in tardy spring or former summer , removing up to one third of the foliage . In add-on , prune away any diseased or impoverished branches as needed . And pinch off stems here and there to use in your preparation !
you may either arise creeping or unsloped rosemary , both of which are fragrant . The former looks lovely in a decorative pot , while the latter is preferred for culinary use .
‘ Prostratus ’ is an fantabulous creeping smorgasbord , while ‘ Hans Arp ’ is a classical upright .
Here are a couple extra favorite cultivars :
Barbeque
For skewer - stiff stems and robust flavor , flora ‘ barbecue ’ in a container to spring up outdoors .
Hardy in zone 8 - 11 , ‘ barbecue ’ pop the question an ever - present garnish for your repast , or just a beautiful maze of greenery to front at ( and feel ) .
‘ Barbeque ’
Untrimmed , it ’ll grow and spread anywhere between 48 - 60 inch and raise pretty risque efflorescence .
you may bump a set of three plantsavailable at Burpee .
Blue Boy
This dwarf cultivar grows just 24 inches magniloquent and wide , making it easy to grow in a container .
‘ Blue Boy ’ is brave to zone 8 - 11 and boasts delicate purple - blue peak .
Want More choice ?
Be sure to check out our species and cultivar guidebook , “ 13 of the Best Rosemary Varieties . ”
This hardy herb does n’t suffer from much in terms of pests and disease . I ’ve grown it right next to delphinium that were being attacked byaphids , but none ever touch my pungent Rosmarinus officinalis . The herbaceous plant can even snub certain types of aphids .
Your master concern ispowdery mildew , a fungous infection that grows as a thin , milklike layer of mycelium on the needle - like leaves . To prevent an contagion , make trusted you forefend overwatering and place the plant in full sun with fair to middling air circulation .
Root rot may be a job if the potting premix is n’t well - draining or has become oversaturated from inordinate rain or overwatering .
Rosemary is an excellent addition to a terrace or porch herb garden , and it shines in a variety of dish .
I love to relish a few mouthwatering rosemary and parmesan crackers as an afternoon snack . you could regain the recipeon our babe site , Foodal .
Or , make these delicious , grilled rosemary and garlic burgers , also from Foodal , for a savory lunch or dinner party .
Do you have more of a sweet-flavored tooth ? Then render some rosemary butter cookiesfrom Foodal – they are fragrant , decadent dreams come true .
Of naturally , you may always utilize the herbaceous plant as ornamentation , too , or have plants as ornamental on a gay terrace or balcony to supply both fragrance and eye - pleasing appealingness .
Rose(mary)-colored Glasses
No matter how you produce and enjoy it , this herbaceous plant is trusted to better your lifespan with its flavor , smell , and wait .
Since it ’s fuss - free and springy , it ’s a perfect works for founder gardeners ( and blossoming chefs ) .
And in the meantime , check out these other articles on growingherbs in containersto add to your collection :
© take the Experts , LLC . ALL right wing RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally published April 27th , 2021 . Last updated April 24th , 2025 . intersection photo via Burpee . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock . With additional writing and editing by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu .
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Laura Ojeda Melchor
