2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Rosemary (lat. Rosmarinus) - a genus of evergreen dwarf shrubs or shrubs of the Lamiaceae family. In nature, rosemary is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Cyprus, as well as in some European countries, more precisely, in Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and France. In Russia, rosemary is cultivated exclusively as a cultivated plant.
Characteristics of culture
Rosemary is a semi-shrub or shrub 50-200 cm high with pubescent obtuse tetrahedral branches. Leaves are oblong, opposite, leathery, linear, thickened, curled around the edges, with a pronounced liquid, located on short petioles. Flowers are sessile, blue or white, collected in false racemose inflorescences. The calyx is two-lipped, ovate-bell-shaped, two-split. Corolla is blue-violet in color, slightly pubescent on the outside. The lower lip is elongated, equipped with a serrated blade. Upper lip notched, with three short teeth.
The fruit is a smooth, rounded ovoid nut of brown color. Seeds are rather small, round, with shine. Rosemary blooms in April-May, fruits ripen in September. All parts of the plants are distinguished by a rich peculiar aroma and spicy taste. The culture got its name not by chance, it goes back to the Latin "ros marinus", which translates as "sea dew". In fact, naturally, rosemary grows on the seashore. Today, rosemary is cultivated both outdoors and at home.
Growing conditions
Rosemary is picky about soil conditions, prefers loose, permeable, aerated, humus, moderately moist soils with a neutral pH. The culture does not accept damp, acidic and waterlogged soils. It can develop without any problems on dry rocky areas, but a good harvest should not be expected.
The plant is light-requiring, so it must be placed in open sunny areas. In the shade of rosemary, the content of essential oils is reduced. Negatively, the culture refers to sudden changes in temperature and strong piercing winds, these factors are also important to consider when growing plants. When growing rosemary indoors, you need to give it the lightest spot without drafts.
Reproduction and planting
Rosemary is propagated by seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush. Experienced gardeners advise to start growing crops right away from an adult plant, which can be purchased at any nursery or specialized garden center. Of course, an adult specimen will cost a little more than a sprout, but in this case, the probability of avoiding plant death is 95%.
In general, growing rosemary is a simple process, especially if you follow all the rules of care. Most often, rosemary is propagated by cuttings. Cuttings 10 cm long are cut from annual shoots, it is advisable to carry out this procedure in the summer. After the cuttings are planted in a greenhouse. The seeding depth is 5 cm, the distance between the cuttings is 10 cm, and between the rows - 30 cm.
The ridges are abundantly watered and mulched with peat, and for the winter they are insulated with a special covering material. In the fall of next year, rooted cuttings are planted in a permanent place. In the conditions of central Russia, cuttings are rooted in nurseries, and for the winter they are transplanted into pots and stored in the basement until spring.
Seed sowing is laborious, and seed germination is only 50%. Seeds are sown in seedling boxes in late February - early March. With the appearance of 2-3 true leaves on the seedlings, they are dived in separate pots or in a greenhouse.
Care
For the first few years, caring for rosemary consists of weeding, watering, loosening the aisles and feeding with organic fertilizers. Fertilizers are applied once every two years at the rate of 15-20 kg of compost or humus per 1 square meter. For the winter, the soil in the near-stem zone is mulched with peat or hilled.
Every spring, the bushes are pruned, leaving 3-4 internodes of last year's increments. Rosemary blooms in the second year, but the yield for the first 2 years is negligible. In the future, the rosemary bushes are tugged with rejuvenating pruning, cutting off a few centimeters above the surface of the earth. In central Russia, rosemary is preferable to grow in boxes or pots, planting them in the open ground for the summer period.
Harvesting
Rosemary, intended for drying and processing, is harvested during the mass flowering period. Young growths are cut off together with leaves and flowers. For culinary needs, young shoots collected before flowering are used.
Recommended:
Medicinal Rosemary
Medicinal rosemary is one of the plants of the family called Clarice, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Rosmarinus officinalis. As for the very name of the medicinal rosemary family, in Latin it will be like this: Lamiaceae.
The Benefits And Harms Of Rosemary
Rosemary is a truly unique plant that deserves the closest attention, because it is considered both an excellent spice and one of the most powerful and effective medicinal herbs. This attractive herb is successfully used in cooking, and in folk medicine, and even in cosmetology! Nevertheless, despite the huge number of useful properties, not everyone can use rosemary. So who will it do a good job, and who better to abandon the idea of using it?
Marsh Wild Rosemary
Marsh wild rosemary belongs to a family called heather. In the Latin version, the name of this plant sounds like this: Ledum palustre L. Description of marsh rosemary Marsh rosemary is an evergreen flowering shrub, the height of which is most often about seventy to ninety centimeters, and sometimes the height of this plant even exceeds one meter.
Large-leaved Wild Rosemary
A plant like wild rosemary belongs to a family called heather. In Latin, the name of this plant is as follows: Ledum macrophyllum Jolm. Description of large-leaved wild rosemary Large-leaved wild rosemary is an evergreen shrub, the height of which fluctuates between fifty and one hundred centimeters.
Wild Rosemary
Wild rosemary is one of the plants in a family called heather. In Latin, the name of this plant sounds like this: Ledum hypoleucum. Description of wild rosemary podbel Ledum podbel is an evergreen shrub, the height of which will be about fifty to one hundred and twenty centimeters.
