Trailing rosemary

Sun

Full sun; flowering and growth are best with at least six hours of direct sun daily.

Water

Low once established in the ground; water containers when the upper soil has dried, allowing excess water to drain freely.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gritty or stony soil; tolerates poor soil and mildly acidic to alkaline conditions. Avoid waterlogged clay.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Flowers

Small pale blue flowers, mainly in spring, with intermittent flowering in other seasons in mild climates.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow, leathery, dark green leaves with pale undersides and a strong resinous scent when rubbed.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant in spring where winters are cold; use a raised bed or container if your soil stays wet.
• Water regularly through the first growing season, letting the soil dry somewhat between waterings.
• Feed sparingly; give container plants a light balanced feed in spring, but usually leave established garden plants unfed.
• Keep mulch away from the woody crown; use gravel rather than moisture-holding organic mulch around the base.
• Move pots into a bright, cool, frost-free place where winter temperatures fall below its reliable range.

Pruning. Trim lightly after the main flowering flush to shorten trailing shoots and encourage branching. Keep cuts within leafy growth, because bare old wood often fails to resprout, and avoid hard pruning before winter.

Snip leafy shoot tips once the plant is established, choosing healthy green growth before it becomes woody. Pick throughout the year in mild climates, taking small amounts from several stems and leaving plenty of foliage; use fresh or dry for storage.

Spring

Plant after severe frost has passed, choosing full sun and freely draining soil.

Spring

Check container drainage and apply a light feed if growth is weak.

Late spring

After the main flowering flush, lightly trim long shoots while retaining leafy growth.

Summer

Harvest shoot tips and water containers when the upper soil dries.

Summer

Take non-flowering, semi-ripe cuttings to raise replacement plants.

Autumn

Reduce watering as growth slows and move pots under shelter before damaging frost.

Winter

Keep sheltered plants in bright light and water sparingly without letting the root ball dry out completely.

• Let it cascade over a sunny retaining wall, keeping the crown above wet ground.
• Use it along gravel paths with lavender and thyme for scent and contrasting leaf textures.
• Grow it in a tall, well-drained pot where its stems can trail over the rim.
• Plant it as low evergreen cover on a sunny, freely draining bank.

Garden styles it suits: Mediterranean, Modern Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Coastal, Edible landscape and Sensory garden.

Plant it with: English lavender, Common thyme, Common sage, Santolina, Rockrose and Lamb's ears.

Wildlife: Flowers supply nectar and pollen for bees and other visiting insects, sometimes during mild winter weather when few other plants are flowering.

• Root rot and dieback in wet soil: improve drainage or move to a raised bed or container; do not keep watering a plant whose soil is already wet.
• Frost damage: shelter from cold winds, protect during severe freezes and wait until spring growth appears before removing damaged shoots.
• Rosemary beetle, particularly in the UK: inspect leaves and stems for striped metallic beetles and grey larvae, then pick them off by hand.
• Powdery mildew, especially under cover: improve airflow, provide stronger light and avoid crowding plants.

The leaves, stems and flowers are not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses in ordinary garden exposure. Leaves are edible, though eating large amounts may cause digestive upset. Concentrated rosemary essential oil is not equivalent to the plant and can be harmful if swallowed, especially by pets.

• Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum)

  Forms a much lower mat with tiny oval leaves and usually pink-purple flowers; rosemary has longer, needle-like leaves and thicker woody stems.

• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

  Has greyer foliage and upright flower spikes held above the leaves; trailing rosemary bears small flowers along its leafy stems.

Rosmarinus comes from Latin words meaning 'dew of the sea', while 'Prostratus' describes its low, spreading habit.

Propagation. Take non-flowering semi-ripe cuttings in summer and root them in a gritty, free-draining medium. Low stems may also root where they touch soil and can be separated once well rooted; seed will not reliably reproduce the cultivar.

Accepted botanical name

Salvia rosmarinus

Native range

Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Libya and Morocco.

Measured

Soil pH 5 to 7.5. Average height 74 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.