Rosemary: The Herb of Remembrance and Friendship -

Home
>
Landscaping & Gardening
>
Rosemary: The Herb of Remembrance and Friendship

Rosemary: The Herb of Remembrance and Friendship

Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly called rosemary is an aromatic herb indigenous to the Mediterranean area. Rosemary is traditionally known as the herb of remembrance and friendship. Also known as Mary's mantle and compass weed, rosemary is a lovely, sweet scented, shrubby perennial in Mediterranean countries that can be grown as an annual in Northern climates or as an indoor potted plant. Rosemary has needlelike leaves and delicate light blue flowers. Mature plants can live for over 30 years.

Rosemary grows best in full sun but will tolerate semi-shade. This plant grows best in light, well-drained soil. Let rosemary become moderately dry between waterings, as root rot can be a problem in soggy soils. Mist the leaves every second week. Rosemary grows 3 ? 6 feet (1 ? 2 m) tall outdoors. Indoors, rosemary benefits by harvesting tip cuttings that will keep the plant fuller and bushier. Rosemary's leaves are dark green on top with silvery undersides.

Rosemary is slow to germinate and grow from seed so it is best to buy plants or propagate rosemary from stem cuttings. If you are growing this herb indoors, rosemary thrives when moved outdoors for the summer. Leave rosemary in pots in the garden as it seems to be able to adjust to moving back in-doors more successfully. Move back indoors before the first frost, check for insects, and if there is an infestation, spray with a soap and water spray.

Rosemary requires at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day. If you are growing rosemary on a windowsill, turn regularly to ensure every side receives light. If you are growing rosemary under lights, hang fluorescent lights 6 inches (15 cm) above the plants and leave on for 12 hours.

In the garden, rosemary deters cabbage moth, bean beetles, and carrot fly when planted near cabbage, beans, carrots, and sage. In Italy, rosemary is the preferred herb with lamb, veal, and poultry particularly when simmered with olive oil, garlic, and wine. Rosemary should always be used with lamb as it enhances the meat with incomparable flavour. Other uses in the kitchen include tomato dishes, stews, soups, vegetable dishes, pork, rabbit, sausages, fish, shellfish, finely chopped in custards, egg dishes, pickles, jellies, jams, cakes, cookies, salads, and is an essential ingredient in herb breads and biscuits, including focaccia, the classic Italian bread. Rosemary can be added to the cooking water to enliven cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, and peas. Marinades for fish and meats as well as minestrone, chicken, and pea soups benefit from the addition of rosemary. Rosemary has a strong flavour so use sparingly. Leaves, stems, and flowers are all edible. To release the flavour of dried leaves, crush them just before using. Rosemary stems can be used for herb skewers by stripping the leaves and threading vegetables or tender cuts of meat on the stems for broiling.

Rosemary can be kept in the fridge for a few days either in plastic bags or with the stems immersed in water. The leaves can be dried by hanging fresh sprigs in a warm, dry place. Strip off leaves before storing.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace ? Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and the booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Products. She owns the website Gwen's Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the books and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit http://www.gwenshealinggarden.ca

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/dec/01/horticulture-her-blood/cid=0ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNHAmpSCK7gQKVFdirXQ-wnI9IH-oAHorticulture Is In Her Blood/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fTampa Tribune,nbsp;FLnbsp;-/font nobr23 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;That#39;s too much of drinking water on blandscaping/b.quot; She also supervises 48 master bgardeners/b, who are essentially volunteers trained by the extension service b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nwanews.com/bvwv/Wrap_It_Up/7571/cid=1274790098ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNEWxRaxlnSct7YzugpX4OXEH9kN-wimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=xQSfY2Ijj-EJimgurl=www.nwanews.com/images/stories/20081126/LR_bvwv_Pc0240100.jpg width=62 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Weekly Vista/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nwanews.com/bvwv/Wrap_It_Up/7571/cid=1274790098ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNEWxRaxlnSct7YzugpX4OXEH9kN-wbGarden/b stores have plenty to offer during winter season/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWeekly Vista,nbsp;ARnbsp;-/font nobrNov 26, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1But, on the contrary, there are many things available at bgarden/b shops that are viable year-round. Village bGarden/b and bLandscaping/b At Village bGarden/b and b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/landscape-company-lands-coveted-bog-oak-accolade-14051770.htmlcid=0ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNEwi8LSQMtstPNkCzp9V-HM8_by6gbLandscape/b company lands coveted Bog Oak accolade/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBelfast Telegraph,nbsp;United Kingdomnbsp;-/font nobrNov 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Margaret Canning A Belfast blandscape gardening/b business has won a coveted award for its work on a private bgarden/b. Cameron bLandscapes/b won the Bog Oak b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D2008811290306%26theme%3DHOME%2520AND%2520GARDENcid=1275683685ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNGTcRgv5vh0iXDdg3eCgFaW9-4gGgHome amp; bGarden/b Calendar/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAsheville Citizen-Times,nbsp;NCnbsp;-/font nobrNov 28, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1WREATH-MAKING WORKSHOPS: 10 am and 2 pm Friday at Reems Creek Nursery amp; bLandscaping/b, 70 Monticello Road, Weaverville. The 10 am session will be on how to b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.georginaadvocate.com/News/Georgina/article/85074cid=0ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNFGEesXUBDe5Oo2AQFZiC2xeB-tkAGeorgina bGarden/b Centre earns blandscape/b awards/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fGeorgina Advocate,nbsp;Canadanbsp;-/font nobrNov 26, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The goal of the organization is to support, promote and educate everything horticultural, including bgardening/b, blandscape/b design, blandscaping/b, and property b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.petaluma360.com/article/20081126/COMMUNITY/811260226/1383%3FTitle%3DCarrying_on_a_tradition_of_nobilitycid=1274921670ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNFrjPVXBygAHQVa92yA2LU9rXlh-wCarrying on a tradition of nobility/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fPetaluma Argus Courier,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobrNov 26, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1True to his heritage, Hagiwara-Nagata has won blandscaping/b and bgardening/b awards, and has been actively involved in local and national projects. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/home/shopping/stories/DN-nhg_fwgardenshops_1120gd.State.Edition1.13cecb1.htmlcid=0ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNH7Mq-DBMyZkW75oewVHicuwwiSKwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=8A-hFrEU-MYJimgurl=www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/11-08/1120gardensmall.jpg width=80 height=54 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Dallas Morning News/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/home/shopping/stories/DN-nhg_fwgardenshops_1120gd.State.Edition1.13cecb1.htmlcid=0ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNH7Mq-DBMyZkW75oewVHicuwwiSKw6 Fort Worth bgarden/b shops built their way up on a dream/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDallas Morning News,nbsp;TXnbsp;-/font nobrNov 19, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1These days he is designing tropical blandscapes/b on golf courses, planting pots for Neiman Marcus and stocking an eclectic nursery with plants and bgarden/b b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.triplicate.com/news/story.cfm%3Fstory_no%3D11002cid=1276191902ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNHKzcKPxdSQhxt8D6r0tRqpFkStfgCoastal voices: Council thoughts on first week in office/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDaily Triplicate,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobrNov 29, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1See about some new design ideas to solve problems and then hand it off to their maintenance and blandscaping/b people; or maybe connect them with bgardeners/b to b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20081129/LIFESTYLE/811290308/1024cid=0ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNG8w1mY7ag4l-tLbch3ePnOW_rHhwAcadiana bGardening/b: Bradford Pear is a plant for all seasons/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Daily Advertiser,nbsp;LAnbsp;-/font nobrNov 29, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1A: Unless you are growing hybrid bananas for blandscaping/b or for the fruit, there are few maintenance requirements. Common banana plants begin to look ratty b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2008/11/think_it_through_before_flying.htmlcid=0ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNEJkuXoJffgHVW1hgsxUUujmG4v8Aimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=BP4ljwK73MgJimgurl=blog.oregonlive.com/hg_impact/2008/11/medium_dulc04.JPG width=64 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2The Oregonian - OregonLive.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2008/11/think_it_through_before_flying.htmlcid=0ei=D8A0ScKiMKbU6gOup-jECQusg=AFQjCNEJkuXoJffgHVW1hgsxUUujmG4v8AThink it through before flying off to distant gardens/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Oregonian - OregonLive.com,nbsp;ORnbsp;-/font nobrNov 29, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1by Dulcy Mahar, Special to The Oregonian James Merrell/The New York TimesThe Northwest bgardening/b scene has grown considerably more sophisticated in recent b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

landscaping gardening - Google News

Rosemary: The Herb of Remembrance and Friendship

Landscaping & Gardening