Rosemary Shrub

Jack,
I received a rosemary bush as a Christmas gift. It was healthy and green with a lovely fragrance. Then it turned brown in just a few days. Any suggestions?
Michael Ewell
Spokane, Wa

Michael,
I have seen a few of these "Christmas presents" go belly up, and the one I inspected had root rot of biblical proportions. Rosemary likes to be high and dry, and basically left alone when it comes to TLC. Too frequent watering does in potted rosemary.


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Editor,
I was given a rosemary bush for Christmas with no instructions on how to keep it looking nice. Mine has started to dry out really bad and looks like its about to die. I've watered throughly and let it drain. It's damp right now, but it looks worse. I have it in my office under florescent lighting; we have steam heat. What am I doing wrong and what can I do to correct it? I don't want it to die.
Thank you for your time.
Debbie Eiken

Debbie,
You might be guilty of too much TLC. The thorough waterings could be drowning your rosemary, which, like many herbs, prefers drier conditions than most plants. Only water when the top quarter inch of the soil is dry to the touch and, even then, don't feel you have to fill up the pot to do the job correctly. Also, take is easy on fertilizer, as rosemary usually does quite well with less rather than more fertilizer.

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jazz lady said:

They do wonderful inside. I had one on the windowsill above my sink in the kitchen and it loved it there. I finally planted it outside because it got too big even with trimming.

Like catt posted, overwatering is its number one enemy. They are used in minimal watering landscapes outside and do great. Treat them like cacti, water sparingly, and they'll do fine.

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crabcake said:

I was thinking about putting two of them in planters on each side of my fireplace, and one for the back deck with the citronella and mint that's planted back there. I love fragrance when I'm sitting out there.

They're each about a foot tall, and trimmed like a tree.

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jazz lady said:

How much sun will they get by the fireplace? They are sun loving plants. My kitchen window faces east, so it got lots of direct sun in the morning and bright indirect light for hours.

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crabcake said:

There is lots of natural light that comes into the room from windows on both sides of the room, but maybe that won't be enough.

Usually, Lowes puts those tags on plants that tells you what kinda light/moisture/etc. plants like, but these didn't have any tags.

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Rosemary wants to be in the sun and insists on excellent drainage. Unless your window is very bright (sunny is best) your rosemary plants will likely go downhill. Plus, under low light, there is a greater tendency to overwater, as the plants use less than they do in the sun.

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Successfully growing rosemary indoors requires good sunlight -- the more the better -- and ideally a southern exposure. If the plant is large, rotate it weekly so all sides of the plant receive sunlight. Wiry growth often indicates inadequate light, and if you can't increase natural light, consider using artificial light. You can also prune plants to encourage bushiness. Indoor plants sometimes develop powdery mildew because of lack of air circulation. If this occurs, run a small (3-inch) fan for three to four hours a day. I've noticed that the creeping varieties grow and tolerate dry interior air better than the upright varieties.

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