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Thursday 19 May 2016

FFF235 - ROSEMARY

Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly known as rosemary, is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs. The name "rosemary" derives from the Latin for "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea". The plant is also sometimes called anthos, from the ancient Greek word ἄνθος, meaning "flower". Rosemary has a fibrous root system.

Rosemary is an aromatic evergreen shrub that has leaves similar to hemlock needles. The leaves are used as a flavouring in foods such as stuffings and roast lamb, pork, chicken and turkey. It is native to the Mediterranean and Asia, but is reasonably hardy in cool climates. It can withstand droughts, surviving a severe lack of water for lengthy periods. Forms range from upright to trailing; the upright forms can reach 1.5 m tall, rarely 2 m.

The leaves are evergreen, 2–4 cm long and 2–5 mm broad, green above, and white below, with dense, short, woolly hair. The plant flowers in spring and summer in temperate climates, but the plants can be in constant bloom in warm climates; flowers are white, pink, purple or deep blue. Rosemary also has a tendency to flower outside its normal flowering season; it has been known to flower as late as early December, and as early as mid-February.

Since it is attractive and drought-tolerant, rosemary is used as an ornamental plant in gardens and for xeriscape landscaping, especially in regions of Mediterranean climate. It is considered easy to grow and pest-resistant. Rosemary can grow quite large and retain attractiveness for many years, can be pruned into formal shapes and low hedges, and has been used for topiary. It is easily grown in pots. The groundcover cultivars spread widely, with a dense and durable texture.

Rosemary grows on friable loam soil with good drainage in an open, sunny position. It will not withstand waterlogging and some varieties are susceptible to frost. It grows best in neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7–7.8) with average fertility. It can be propagated from an existing plant by clipping a shoot (from a soft new growth) 10–15 cm long, stripping a few leaves from the bottom, and planting it directly into soil.

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19 comments:

  1. Beautiful and delicious is rosemary. I like them so much. Great Photo thanks.
    Have a nice weekend.
    Regards Ingrid

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  2. Hi Nick,
    those blue blossoms of the rosemary are wonderful.
    Best regards, Synnöve

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  3. That's a great capture of rosemary, which we have in our yard, because this is deer country:) Thanks for hosting!

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  4. I like the smell of rosemary. Plus, he is beautiful!!

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  5. I am crazy about that Rosemary pic - the blue is amazing!!

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  6. Rosemary doesn't flower here, i am still perplexed till now. Even those very old plants haven't been seen flowering. Maybe it needs a cold treatment to induce flowering.

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  7. I love the mell an the taste of rosemary, but I haven't seen it flowering till now.
    So stunning!

    Have a happy weekend, dear Nick ... Frauke

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  8. Lovely pic. Thank you Nick for hosting and have a wonderful weekend. Tamara

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  9. I think there is no reason not to grow this plant. It is a beauty Nick! Groetjes Hetty

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  10. Hello Nick,
    those blue blossoms of rosemary are beautiful.
    Best regards,
    moni
    http://www.reflexionblog.de

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  11. Gorgeous blooms and I love that pretty purple color.

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  12. I didn't realize rosemary was so pretty! Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Heisann, they are so nice, hope to have one in my bed soon!

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  14. I love rosemary, but I've never seen it in bloom until now - so pretty!
    Have a great weekend,
    Annie

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  15. What a beautiful colour......
    Lovely greetings Jen

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  16. An essential culinary herb....looks pretty too!

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  17. Beautiful flowers !!
    Happy weekend !

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  18. What a gorgeous flower, beautiful photo and as always very interesting information about the plant !
    Thank you for sharing Nick. Have a happy Week, greetings from Germany, Carmen

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