Saturday, Dec. 06, 2008

DEBBIE MENCHEK | WATERFORD PLANTATION

This is the second of a series of short articles about holiday plants that make not just lovely seasonal gifts, but continue to add year round beauty and interest as a house or landscape plant.

Rosemary grown on a wreath form or sheared into the shape of a small tree is much more than a holiday novelty from the garden center. Rosemary is an evergreen woody shrub with gray-green, needle-like leaves. It is easy to grow in a container or planted in a well drained spot in the garden. It thrives in poor soil, and sunny, hot, dry conditions. Best of all, deer do not eat rosemary.

In the garden rosemary grows quickly to a mature height of three to six feet. It provides excellent year round screening. It responds well to pruning, making it a good hedge plant.

Rosemary adds welcome color to the garden or window sill. Depending on variety, it blooms continuously with a myriad of tiny purple-blue, blue, pink or white flowers from fall, through winter and into spring. Keep in mind, though, that if you choose to keep rosemary in topiary form (wreath, tree or other shape), constant pruning will significantly diminish blooms.

As a culinary herb rosemary belongs in or near the kitchen. A close-by plant makes the evergreen leaves constantly available to the cook.

If you are the lucky recipient of a rosemary plant this season, take care of it rather than throw it out with the Christmas tree. You will enjoy it year round.