Growing herbs at Sunnyside ~ Rosemary

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

I began a post about tips on growing herbs a while ago, but it got so long that I thought I'd make it into a series of posts. I'm a little nervous about posting this, but it's been sitting ready to go for a while now.  Lest you think I'm an amazing gardener ~ I'm not.  Everything I've learnt has been by trial & error ~ mainly error ~ loads of them!  However I have been growing herbs for most of my adult life and have always enjoyed grabbing a few to add to different meals I make. I want to share with you how easy it is & encourage you to begin your own herbs ~ whether it is a few pots of herbs or an entire garden ( or like me have them scattered throughout the gardens).  I intend to share with you the tips & what not to do's that I've learnt along the way (with some types there's a lot)!.  It is so satisfying using your own produce & herbs are so very easy to grow & will add flavour & nutrients to the meals you make!  I hope you enjoy:



ROSEMARY

   If you're just beginning your herb garden or want a pretty addition to your perennial garden, one of the easiest & loveliest herbs to grow is rosemary.  It lives well on pure neglect & will thrive with only a little care.  My rosemary is the one plant I put in that survived our first year here at Sunnyside ~ before we put in the watering system from one of the dams that actually contained water back then.  It managed with the little water I would pour on it now & again ( remember this was a drought year, so we needed most of our water just to live & keep clean) & once we were able to water it regularly, it flourished & the growth rate increased remarkably. 



You only need a small plant to begin .   What begins as a 10cm plantling  quickly turns into a thriving, wild bush ~ it is often used as a beautiful & aromatic hedging.     Rosemary is best grown from a cutting rather than seed ~ simply take a small cutting of new growth from an established plant & place one end  into some seed raising mixture.  Keep moist & soon it will have grown sufficient roots to plant out into your garden.

~Yes, my rosemary is in dire need of pruning ~

As with any plant, rosemary loves good soil, but will grow even in poor soil types.  Our house is located on an ironbark ridge & although this enables us fantastic views of the valley below, it does mean that the soil is poor & quite rocky.  Most plants I grow are in raised beds, but I have been able to grow my rosemary straight into the ground ~ I love hardy plants like that :)    


Rosemary is such a delight to have in the garden ~ who can resist running their hand through it & smelling the  delicious aroma that is emitted.   It is such a pretty herb that it can be easily added to a flower garden (it makes a fabulous backdrop to other flowers). Rosemary produces flowers in flushes at various times throughout the year ~ it will surprise you when!    I have one rosemary bush that produces a pretty, soft pink flower (above), but my absolute favourite is my 'tuscan blue' rosemary  ~ the flowers are a startling blue/purple that always bring a smile to my face (at top & bottom of page)!




Rosemary a wonderful addition to a variety of meals.  It is very good for you containing up to 20 antioxidants & some say it aids in improving the memory.  One of my favourite ways of using rosemary is when I cook a roast lamb or beef ~ just poke a number of sprigs into the roast at varying intervals along with some garlic cloves & then cook.  I also add rosemary to my spaghetti bolognaise, chicken stuffing & of course my bouquet garni always contains this herb! 




I hope you find delight in growing this beautiful, tasty, aromatic, hardy herb for yourself!

I'd love it if you shared any tips of your own :)

Blessings

Joining up with :


Also At Wildcrafting Wednesday
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10 comments:

"Are These Kids All Yours?" said...

Can't wait to start a garden again! This next year hopefully...but then a new addition may take priority ;)

Miss having rosemary!

Selina said...

Hi Narn,
Such a lovely post on a lovely herb. My cuttings from your Rosemary bush survived there trip up here and are flourishing in the pot, giving very pretty flowers. As a note - I didn't put mine in seed raising mix, just stuck them straight in dirt.
Have a lovely day,
luv
sel

Cassandra said...

HI !!!! it's been so long since I have had a chance to visit :-) I'm just catching up with all your posts now.
I loved this post, I have tried growing herbs before with no luck so I am looking forward to your series of posts on it.
Have a great week !
Cassandra xx

Grandma said...

Hello Narn,
Thanks for the post on growing herbs! The Rosemary looks lovely.

Have you been in charge of your mobile phone today or has it slipped into the hands of others? We received a photo text of a pair of legs/feet in sneakers, and a very long garbled text message. Unfortunately, neither myself or Aunty Cor could decipher it. When I sent you a text in return, I received back a completely blank text message from you?????

Tried ringing your home phone to no avail. Anyway, love you all
Mum xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mind Body and Sole said...

Hello! :)

What a great post! Would you mind sharing it on Wildcrafting Wednesday? I'm sure my readers would love to read it too! :)

Thanks!
~ Kathy @ Mind Body and Sole

PS Isn't that the music from Anne of Green Gables? :)

Unknown said...

I love Rosemary! Where I live it can't survive the winters, so I dig it up and put it in a big pot. It now resides in my Mudroom with a Southern exposure. So far so good! It is thriving and I am using it in my roasts just the way you do! :) I also used some with my roast chicken the other night. SO GOOD!

I am looking forward to the herb series. I have been herb gardening for a couple of years now and I really enjoy it!

AND just have to say your new header is AWESOME!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful blog you have! This is perfect:) I am seriously loving your post partly because I love rosemary! It is so informative and I think my subscribers would really enjoy reading this. I would love for you to come share it at Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on Frugally Sustainable (http://frugallysustainable.blogspot.com/2011/11/frugal-days-sustainable-ways-2.html). I really hope that you will put Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on your list of carnivals to visit and link to each Wednesday!

Warmly,
Andrea @ Frugally Sustainable
Here's the link: http://www.frugallysustainable.com

Smilie girl said...

Great advice. You've inspired me to grow my own rosemary. Hardy is what I need. Thanks Narn.

debi10kids said...

I bet that smelled wonderful cooking. YUM!

Rosemary happens to be one of the herbs I was successful growing, and like you, I;m no expert, but I grew it well :)

Unknown said...

I'm so happy that you were able to share this last Wednesday! I am posting this to my fb page now:) Thank you so very much for linking up to Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways:) It is my sincere hope that you will continue to make Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways a part of your Wednesdays! Keep the great posts comin':)
Blessings,
Andrea
www.frugallysustainable.com

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