By BJ Jarvis
Pasco Extension Horticulturist
As the year comes to a close, it seems we spend less time in the garden and more time in the kitchen. There is a simple way to combine the two by growing culinary herbs.
Rosemary is one of the all-time holiday cooking herbs and, thankfully, it is super-easy to grow.
Rosemary grows from a typical 4-inch pot to a small shrub in just a couple of years. Once established it is quite resilient, chugging through droughts with ease. Rosemary shrubs ultimately reach 4- to 5-feet tall with a similar spread, so give the little plant room to grow.
Few gardeners witness the pale pink or lavender flowers that speckle the plant in winter, so watch for them January through March. Choose a well-drained site with a minimum of five to six hours of sun each day.
Hailing from the Mediterranean, this is a plant that doesn’t like soggy soils. Water plants well to get established, then nature’s rainfall will usually suffice. Once established in the ground, rosemary will tolerate Pasco’s cold temperatures like a champ. The first winter, it might appreciate a little extra babying.
Few insects or diseases plague rosemary, making this a great choice for novice gardeners and those who believe they have “black thumbs.”
Local groceries and garden centers offer small rosemary plants that are often decorated for the holiday season like trees. For more adventurous gardeners, propagate fresh cuttings, although they can be a bit of a challenge. Starting from seeds is nearly impossible.
Add some flavor to holiday foods with rosemary’s evergreen needles that have a pungent fragrance when cut or bruised. They are excellent for cooking, fresh or preserved, as a dried herb.
With so many of our holiday memories centered around wonderful smells, consider growing your own rosemary plant. Next year, fresh rosemary can be added to your dinner table or simply to freshen a room.
—B.J. Jarvis is Director and Horticulturist for Pasco Cooperative Extension, a partnership between the University of Florida, USDA and county government. She can be reached at or by phone at (352) 518-0156.
