Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Repens’

• • Shearing the top encourages the side branches to spread.
  • Rosemary really despises sitting in soggy soil so ensure that your soil is sandy, poor, and very well draining.

Learn more about gardening with Rosemary:

• • ENG: Pruning the Rosemary
  • FR: Réussir la culture du Romarin

The Tale & The Botany: Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Repens’

Commonly known as rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis is a small shrub from the Mediterranean basin belonging to the Lamiaceae family.

Beyond its many culinary and medicinal uses, it has long been believed to purify the air and ward off evil spirits, and in Mediterranean traditions it was often burned as incense.

Depending on the region and its natural habitat, Rosmarinus officinalis has developed local variations in terms of hardiness, growth habit, and flowering patterns.

Myths and Legends

The name Rosmarinus comes from the Latin ros maris or ‘dew of the sea’.

Elizabeth Kent noted in her Flora Domestica (1823), “The botanical name of this plant is compounded of two Latin words [ros marinus], signifying Sea-dew; and indeed Rosemary thrives best by the sea.

It was later called Rose of Mary or rosemary in honor of the Virgin Mary.

Rosemary water is often called ‘Queen of Hungary Water’ since it is said that Elizabeth of Poland, one of the Queens of Hungary, was the first to introduce perfume (hers a rosemary-infused alcoholate) to the 14th courts in Hungary.

And one can imagine that life was much more pleasant in the court thereafter.

The plant itself has historically been associated with remembrance, memory, and fidelity.

In Roman times, students wore springs of rosemary in their hair so that they would better remember the lessons that they learned at school.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia says, :‘There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray you love, remember.’

So if ever you want to offer the gift of memory, it is here!

Floral Morphology

The plant flowers in spring and summer in temperate climates, but the plants can be in constant bloom in warm climates; flowers are white, pink, purple or deep blue.

The branches are dotted with groups of 2 to 3 flowers down its length.

Rosmarinus officinalis also has a tendency to flower outside its normal flowering season; it has been known to flower as late as early December

The plant can live as long as 35 years – I’ve known one that was older than me today – it was 40!

Rosemary has a fibrous root system- an adaptation to poor or dry soils and rocky terrain.

Other names

Trailing Rosemary

Creeping Rosemary

Prostrate Rosemary

Origin

Mediterranean

Other names:

Trailing Rosemary

Creeping Rosemary

Prostrate Rosemary

Origin:

Mediterranean