Tuscan Blue rosemary

Sun

Full sun, ideally at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, allowing the soil surface to dry between waterings. Established plants tolerate drought; container plants need more frequent checks.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly or loamy soil, from slightly acidic to alkaline. Avoid heavy, wet soil, especially in winter.

Height

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Spread

2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m)

Flowers

Deep blue flowers mainly in spring and early summer, with occasional flowers in autumn or winter in mild climates.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow, leathery, strongly aromatic dark green leaves with pale undersides.

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

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.3 ft (0.7 m)

3. After 2 years

   3 ft (0.9 m)

4. After 3 years

   4 ft (1.1 m)

5. After 5 years

   5 ft (1.5 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 after severe frost risk has passed, keeping the crown at its original soil level.
• Water deeply during establishment, then let the upper soil dry before watering again.
• Use a pot with drainage holes and a gritty potting mix; empty standing water from saucers.
• Feed lightly in spring only if growth is weak; avoid heavy feeding.
• Keep mulch away from the woody base and avoid moisture-retaining mulch on poorly drained ground.
• In colder regions, overwinter a potted plant in a bright, cool, frost-free place.

Pruning. Lightly trim leafy shoots after the main spring flowering to keep the shrub dense, and remove dead or frost-damaged growth once new growth shows. Do not cut hard into bare old wood, which often fails to reshoot.

Pick leafy shoot tips once the plant is established and making strong growth; leaves are usable whenever they are aromatic and healthy. Harvest lightly throughout the growing season, cutting above a leafy side shoot, and avoid heavy picking before winter.

Spring

Plant once severe frost risk has passed, choosing a sunny site with free-draining soil.

Spring

Check for winter damage and cut dead stems back to healthy, leafy growth.

Late spring

Lightly shape the plant after its main flowering flush.

Summer

Harvest leafy tips and check container moisture regularly during hot weather.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Move pots under cover before hard freezes in cold regions; reduce watering as growth slows.

Winter

Keep roots from sitting in water and give sheltered plants as much light as possible.

• Plant as a low clipped hedge around a sunny herb or kitchen garden.
• Use upright shrubs among lavender, sage and thyme for contrasting foliage and blue flowers.
• Grow in large terracotta pots beside a sunny doorway where leaves are easy to harvest.
• Repeat through a gravel garden to provide evergreen structure between seasonal flowers.

Garden styles it suits: Mediterranean, Tuscan villa, Herb parterre, Potager (kitchen garden), Dry gravel garden and Sensory garden.

Plant it with: English lavender, Common sage, Thyme, Oregano, Santolina and Rock rose.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects, including during mild periods when few other shrubs are flowering.

• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage, reduce watering and replace badly affected plants in a better-drained site.
• Frost damage: shelter from cold winds, protect pots during freezes and wait until spring growth appears before removing damaged stems.
• Rosemary beetle, particularly in the UK and parts of Europe: inspect shoots for striped metallic beetles and grey larvae, then hand-pick them.
• Leggy growth or a bare woody base: provide full sun and trim leafy growth regularly; replace old plants that no longer produce useful leafy shoots.

Rosemary leaves and stems are not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses in ordinary garden exposure. The leaves are a culinary herb, but large amounts may cause digestive upset. Concentrated rosemary essential oil is not equivalent to the fresh herb and should not be given to pets or swallowed without appropriate professional advice.

• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

  Lavender usually has greyer leaves and flowers clustered into spikes on long, largely leafless stalks; rosemary flowers sit along leafy shoots.

• Coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa)

  This Australian shrub has leaves commonly arranged in whorls of three and lacks rosemary's strong culinary scent; its flowers are usually white to pale mauve.

• Bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia)

  Bog rosemary is a low shrub with pink, urn-shaped flowers and grows in acidic, wet conditions. It is poisonous and must not be used as a culinary substitute.

The epithet rosmarinus comes from Latin words meaning 'dew of the sea', referring to rosemary's association with Mediterranean coastal habitats.

Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, rooting them in a free-draining medium. Layering low shoots also works. Use vegetative propagation to retain the 'Tuscan Blue' cultivar; seedlings will not reliably match it.

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.