For the love of Rosemary

Many myths abound in history about this ancient herb, entwined too, with medicinal tales. Now it's also a must-have flavour in your kitchen.

WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT ROSEMARY?

Its essential oils have long been recognised for their antibacterial and antifungal qualities, traditionally used as a headache remedy, mouth gargle, and insect repellent. Today, they’re also found in shampoos and bath oils for healthy hair and skin.

Rosemary’s culinary uses gained popularity in the early 20th century. Its aromatic properties are now essential in cooking, especially with meat—lamb in particular—as well as fish, salads, oils, and vinegar.

A LITTLE HISTORY

• From the dawn of time, rosemary’s essential oils have played a complex medical role alongside its alleged memory-enhancing qualities.

• Rosmarinus officinalis, was declared an ‘official’ herb by Pliny the Elder between 23 and 29 CE (or AD). The Greeks first discovered its properties, which were later adopted by the Romans.

• Roman students wore rosemary sprigs during exams to aid memory.

• Egyptians embalmed mummies with rosemary before placement in tombs for benefit in the afterlife.

• The Romans took it to England where it became even more entwined in folklore.

• By the 18th century, it was named Rosmarinus officinalis L. by Carl Linnaeus. It became associated with romance, fidelity and love during Elizabethan times

• Its symbolic status was further cemented in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, when Ophelia famously said, ‘There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance'.
  
   

HOW TO GROW IT

1. Being a native of the Mediterranean region renders rosemary drought hardy, preferring sandy well-drained soils of only moderate fertility. In fact, enriched potting mixes should be avoided. Preferably, select a cactus and succulent mix or we recommend you create your own with coarses and, crushed pumice and 20% compost mix. It’s a sun lover for that hot western aspect in your garden or for container planting.



2. Rosemary is tolerant of low temperatures to -5°C, making it a great choice for cool regions and coastal plantings.



3. Its reputation for being short-lived can be avoided by your regular annual pruning after flowering in spring. When you prune it for culinary uses, it promotes fresh new growth, rich in essential oils.



4. Unattended straggly plants respond to hard pruning in early summer.



5. Feeding is not necessary and can lead to soft growth susceptible to scale and insect attack.



6. While the plant is drought tolerant, your weekly watering in extreme dry conditions will keep rosemary in good health. Mulch with sugarcane or aged cow manure to help conserve moisture around roots in summer.



For you to know

• The name Rosmarinus from Carl Linnaeus naming it, comes from the Latinros maris or 'dew of the sea', from the dew-like appearance sea spray creates on plants growing close to the water.

• It was also later called Rose of Mary or Rosemary in honour of the Virgin Mary.
  
   

A TOUCHING JOURNEY OF ROSEMARY TO AUSTRALIA

A wounded soldier, repatriated from Anzac Cove Gallipoli in 1915, brought with him a rosemary plant root stubble or cuttings. It was planted in the grounds of his recovery Army Hospital at Keswick in Adelaide. That site is now part of the historic Keswick Army Barracks.



Stories vary, but allegedly the rosemary grew and small sprigs were distributed for decades and worn to honour the fallen on Armistice and later Anzac Days. Over time, the gardens were abandoned but the head gardener rescued cuttings and they were replanted as a hedge at the Repatriation Hospital established during WW2 in 1942 at Daw Park, Adelaide.



In the late 1980s, landscaper David Lawry, removing part of the hedge during renovations, was told by gardening staff of the plant’s history. Concerned it may be lost, he propagated cuttings to conserve the plant for posterity.



In 2004, at the launch of the Avenues of Honour Project during the TREENET Symposium, both co-founded by David Lawry OAM, at Adelaide University’s Waite Arboretum, the delegates planted hundreds of these clonal Anzac Cove Rosemary plants ‘in remembrance’.



Cuttings were provided to the nursery industry and official labels produced for royalties under the ‘Gallipoli Rosemary’ plant label for the Avenues of Honour.

VARIETIES AND GROWTH HABITS

Upright

Upright forms of rosemary typically have large, sticky leaves with a strong fragrance. The leaves strip easily, making these plants ideal for hedges. They're often used in garden mazes and are popular for topiaries, as well as large pot plants for exposed verandas and courtyards.

• R. ‘Tuscan Blue’: 1.5m x 2m, deep blue flowers, compact growth, stems perfect for BBQ sausage skewers.

• R. ‘Portuguese Pink’ : 1.5m x 75cm, with blue, pink and white flowers, and a narrow upright habit.

• R. ‘Miss Jessop’s Upright’: 1.5m x 1m, a great addition to a Mediterranean landscape or garden.​

Shrubs

The shrubs have a bushy, spreading habit, growing in a mounded shape rather than upright. Their leaves area romatic, though not as large or sticky as those of some upright varieties.

• R. officinalis: Grows 1.8m x 1.8m and is ideal for ornamental gardening, hedging, culinary usage and landscaping in drought areas.

• R. ‘Gallipoli’, (R. ‘Remembrance’): 1.8m x 1.5m, a selection with governance from Anzac Cove in 1915 of the original species now in SA.

Prostrate

The prostrate forms will cascade over rocks and walls or hug the ground making them excellent for terraced gardens and large pots. They tolerate a wide range of soils and have low water requirements.

• R. officinalis ‘Prostratus’: 0.5m x2m, forms a dense growth habit and will reliably cascade down a wall or spill over a large tub.

• R. ‘Huntington Carpet’: 0.4m x2m, its shorter leaf nodes create a more compact habit, making it ideal as a ground cover or spillover plant.

• R. ‘Santa Barbara’: 0.3m x 2m, looks superb mass planted over rocks and down embankments.\