Learn how to prune rosemary plants young and old to keep the evergreen shrub productive and looking its best.
Annualrosemaryis often planted in cool climates, but the herb more commonlygrows as a perennialin warmer areas.
With proper care, perennial rosemary plants grow into large, 6-foot-tall shrubs that live upward of 30 years.
Credit: Stephen Cridland
Properly pruning rosemary is essential to nurture plants that thrive for decades.
Without pruning, rosemary becomes woody and leggy, which looks unruly and yields fewer usable leaves.
Learn when and how to prune rosemary to get the most out of this popular herb.
Why Prune Rosemary?
If rosemary plants arent pruned regularly, they become overgrown and woody or develop unsightly bald patches.
If you prune rosemary in autumn, complete the process at least six weeks beforeyour areas first frostis expected.
Young rosemary is easy to shape into new forms, and pruning young plants makes them much bushier.
Remove dead stems when they occur.
How to Prune Older Rosemary Plants
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Its also smart to sharpen your tools to ensure they make clean cuts.
If branches were damaged during winter, cut below the damaged areas.
If branches were damaged during winter, cut below the damaged areas.
Work around the plant until the rosemary plant is shaped to your liking.
Avoid cutting away more than one-third of the rosemary.
Over-pruning can cause the plant to die.
Can Woody Rosemary Be Saved?
Pruning rosemary at least once a year prevents plants from becoming overgrown and woody.
However, with patience and care, you may be able to rehabilitate a woody rosemary plant.
Just keep in mind this process isnt always successful.
To avoid this, never cut rosemary back into the woody sections of the plant.
For longer-term storage,freeze the herb.
Rosemary can also bedehydrated.
Additional uses for the herb include crafting, such as soapmaking, or propagation for new rosemary plants.
Rosemary seeds are difficult to germinate.
Dont cover the seeds with the mix.
Cover the tray with plastic and place it on a heating mat or other heat source.
Remove the cover occasionally for air circulation and permanently when the seeds sprout.
This pairing isnt ideal because rosemary prefers dry soil and basil likes moist soil.
