Rosemary

I planted a rosemary out in the garden last year and it has survived the winter. However, the leaves on the lower half are brown, only the top ones are fresh.

Should I have cut it back last autumn, or is it the time to do so now? Thanks!

 

I pruned a rosemary bush once quite drastically and it never recovered. Maybe try pruning part of it to see what happens? I cut bits off mine for cooking and it grows new branches quite easily.

 

Sis, you know I had (notice past tense) the large wild Rosemary in the sand garden .... I heavily pruned it because it got thin underneath and it didn't recover particularly well so now it's gone. I think it should be treated rather like Lavender, ie, don't cut into the hard wood.

I have two cultivated ones up on deck in pots (a slightly lighter coloured flower than the wild) but I haven't done anything with them yet.

I still have the cutting on the lane which is getting rather large now and I think I will just leave it that way as the original one from which I took my first cutting was on the lane and it was never pruned and was large, full and beautiful .... perhaps a hint by nature ...

 

I would wait a few weeks until it warms up a bit, Rosemary is fairly tender, and will have suffered in a German winter.

Then, Cut out any obviously dead branches and just trim the tops of living shoots, it should grow thicker over the summer

 

I think Rosemarys are one of those plants that can be more deeply re planted all the way up to the start of the good growth and it will form new roots along the bare stems resulting in loads of new plants in good condition.

Well I'm hoping so at the very least because I have already done it.

 

Thanks guys. They are all good tips and I feel like trying them all out. :gnthb:

First, digging it up and planting it deeper as Claire has done with hers.

Then, layer one twig as Loofah said.

Next, wait for warmer weather as Quercus suggested.

Finally, take Aaron and Sis's tips about pruning it back, but NOT into the hard wood.

Joking apart, I'll have another look at it tomorrow and wait for the weather to warm up a bit (supposed to get colder over the weekend again), then trim the tops of some twigs and layer a couple of others.

Claire, I'll have to wait to try out your tip, but the next new rosemary for sure. Hope yours does well.

Thanks again everyone :luv:

 

l'll let you know if l kill it, promise.

 

How brown have the lower leaves gone?

If they are clearly dead, then I would go with the tips already posted. If on the other hand the leaves are merely discoloured and poorly, I would wait and see what happens when the weather warms up.

My best Rosemary bush has been outside now for about 5 years, maybe longer. It has been poorly a couple of times. The worst time, when I thought I was going to lose it, was a few years ago when I had it in a large container on the patio before I put it into the garden. We had a long period of heavy rain and lack of sunshine. Rosemary doesn't like that. I took drastic action and drilled loads of extra holes in its container, all round the sides to aid drainage and in the hope that the wind would dry the soil off a bit, then I secured a plastic bag over the top of the soil to prevent any more rain water getting in. Lo and behold, a couple of weeks later it was looking much better, and all the discolouration had gone.

 

Kedi, Claire's tip is right, both rosemary and lavender are of the mint family ,you can dig it up and plant it up to the new growth it will be ok, or take some tip cuttings.

 

Its definitely indestructable, mine came from a plastic bag of "reduced to clear" precut rosemary in the supermarket.
One sprig was rooted in a glass of water on the windowsill, now its a 4ft high rosemary bush and as healthy as you like.

 

I didn't know that, walnut, about being of the mint family. A very interesting fact. So yours should be fine, Claire.

I've had such bad luck with rosemary in the past, but I keep trying. Now I have hopes of keeping mine last one going.

I've tried rooting it in water, Hex, but no luck there either, just rotted away on me.

Clueless, here is a pic of how bad mine is -




Do you and the others think that I can save it after all? Oh, and mine is planted in the ground on a SSW wall.

 

It took a good while to take root in a glass of water.. at least 3-4 weeks. I didn`t use any rooting powder or gel but changed the water regularly to keep it fresh (ish).
Your rosemary should pick up, maybe cut it back a bit when the weather warms up to encourage new growth.

 

Kedi I would take some tip cuttings and bin the rest,try this link,
http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/rosemary-cuttings/

 

Thanks Hex and Walnut.

Since we'll soon be off for 8 weeks, I think I'll have to settle for pruning some of it back and layering the rest and hoping for the best.