All you need to know about growing rosemary

Along with its culinary properties, rosemary can also make a pretty addition to your garden. Here's a quick guide to growing it.

• They are herbaceous evergreen plants that are narrow, dense and tapered.
• Rounded bushes, prostrate varieties or columnar shrubs of up to two metres (6.5 feet), rosemary varieties also vary in size, width and the green of their leaves.
• The flowers are pale to intense blue, blue-violet, pink or white.
• Most are edible, although some have a camphor flavour better suited to medicinal purposes.
• In the garden, rosemary has multiple uses, from hedge rows to carpet plants and from planters to topiaries.
• Some varieties are more resistant, so it is a good idea to do some research before choosing what to plant.
• In colder regions, the least resistant varieties are grown in pots or planters so that they can be sheltered over winter.
• The rosemary is one of the best-loved and widely-grown herbs in the world.
• In many regions, it symbolizes friendship and remembrance and for that reason is often included in brides' bouquets and funeral wreaths.

• Rosemary needs full sun and a well drained soil. It tolerates a range of pH levels, from mildly acidic to moderately calcareous soils.
• Limestone soils will give a more compact and scented plant.
• As a coastal plant, the rosemary also tolerates iodinated winds and rocky soils, making it easy to grow near the sea.

• Propagate using cuttings from the top of the plant in spring, or by buying plants for transplant.
• The seeds germinate poorly, and varieties are not repeated identically.

• Prune lightly and regularly to keep the shape of the plant and promote good air circulation.
• Rosemary has a strong root system, so you mustre-pot the plants every year and replace them every three to four years.
• Choose clay pots over plastic in order to facilitate aeration and drainage.
• In humid areas, lay down a mulch with gravel, coarse sand or pebbles to avoid mud splashing, which can cause rot problems.

• If rosemary is over watered, its roots may rot.
• Make sure that the leaves are not turning brown or branches dying.
• The rosemary beetle and its larvae feed on the leaves, so be on your guard.

• Collect the new rosemary shoots and flowering tops at any time to use fresh.
• Dry them flat on trays covered with absorbent paper, then remove the leaves from the stems and store in airtight jars.
• Pick fresh flowers, without greenery, to decorate salads and desserts.