We still have Lavender (Munstead, Buena Vista, Hidcote and Grosso), and if you want to plant them this season, get them this week on sale for 20% off! Any plants left after that will be potted up for next year. Because it is evergreen, newly planted lavender is more sensitive to hard frost than many other hardy perennials, so to give them a chance to establish before very cold weather arrives, plant them NOW. If you garden at an elevation higher than 6,000’, we recommend waiting to plant lavender next spring.
Rosemary ‘Madeline Hill’ is still in stock, and on sale!
While ‘Madeline Hill’ is more cold-hardy than most rosemary selections, it’s too late in the year to plant her outdoors in our climate. But rosemary makes a lovely and useful houseplant, so you can transplant it into one of our attractive houseplant pots and enjoy fresh rosemary all through the winter. Next May, if you have a sunny, warm and somewhat sheltered spot in your garden, you can plant Madeline Hill in the ground. Eve has been growing rosemary in pots for many years, outside from May to October, and in a sunny window for the colder months. Here’s her advice:
Growing Rosemary in a Pot
Rosemary has a very big root system – when grown in the ground, its roots can go far to find water. When confined to a pot, it runs out of water surprisingly fast. I have found that for growing in a pot indoors, you need a sunny window, a big enough pot, preferably a glazed ceramic pot (could be rigid plastic or resin), and daily or almost daily inspection.
Familiarize yourself with what a well hydrated rosemary leaf looks like – nice and plump and green. When the leaves don’t look like that, and are narrow and dry-looking, water thoroughly. With forced-air central heating in winter, this will very likely be every 3 days. Another clue that the plant needs water is nodding branch tips. There is a point of no return for rosemary – try not to go there. If you are not actually looking at the plant to determine when it needs water, you will probably either over-water or under-water. Over-watering causes rot – the leaves turn brown and dry up and fall off. It looks a lot like the results of under-watering. I have also grown rosemary in unglazed ceramic (terra cotta) pots, and I do not recommend it.
Spray with a mister, or if you have a humidifier in the room, your rosemary will love it. The occasional trip to the shower stall is very healthy for a plant that’s not too heavy to carry.
When you pot your plant up to a larger size pot, adding some water-retention crystals, like Hydrosource, to your potting mix helps a lot. Follow the directions that come with the crystals and don’t over-do it – just a little pinch will expand enormously.
If spider mites, aphids or scale are in evidence, horticultural oil spray (this is non-toxic) is usually effective if you repeat the spraying several times, about a week apart.
Set the plant in a shady spot outdoors in the spring after the last hard frost, and gradually more to a sunnier position. The watering schedule will vary, depending on the weather. You just have to be looking every day. And don’t forget to keep trimming and using your rosemary in your cooking!