Salvia rosmarinus Seeds | Rosemary Officinalis
LATIN NAME: Salvia rosmarinus
COMMON NAME: Rosemary
Plant Profile
Salvia rosmarinus, commonly known as Rosemary, is an evergreen, upright, bushy shrub in the mint family. Rosemary is needle-green scent of dry slope, and small, blue flowers open among narrow leaves. It is a shrub of open, sunny, sharp-draining ground. When it flowers, local bees and other insects make good use of it. It is the sort of plant that quietly justifies the space it occupies.
Science & Biotechnology
As part of the mint family, Salvia rosmarinus contributes to research on plant classification and adaptation, while nurseries and gardeners continue to trial it for cultivation. Its behaviour in gardens is well recorded, thanks to a long history in cultivation.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Rosemary for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Rosemary is a fine, historic shrub of herb garden and dry slope. It has been written up in culinary and botanical papers for needle-green scent and the very long history, and it is a fine, historic shrub of the open, sunny, sharp-draining garden. Give young shrub sharp-draining soil and open, sunny spot, and it will take dry season in the stride. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
Rosemary, now reclassified as a salvia, is the herb of remembrance with real chemistry: carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid are studied antioxidants, and its aroma has human-trial support for alertness and memory.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Rosemary, and the process is uncomplicated. Surface-sow onto a light, well-drained compost, dust over a thin covering, and keep evenly moist and sunny until the seedlings show. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Among the Salvia group, it is one of the more distinctive species in cultivation. Once the young plants are away, there is little left to do but watch them grow.
Related Reading
More species in the same orbit as Rosemary: