Rosmarinus officinalis RosemaryEvergreen shrub and...

Rosmarinus officinalis Rosemary

Evergreen shrub and herb.

One of the best things about the Southern California climate is that almost all areas (except the colder high elevations) are perfect for rosemary.

Rosemary functions primarily as a culinary herb, but it can also be used as a ground cover or shrubbery--a green fence, perhaps, upright and impervious to the sun, its small leaves smelling heavenly.

Rosemary blooms in winter, the plants covered by tiny blue flowers that are irresistible to bees. Its leaves are edible year-round, but like most Mediterranean plants, it goes dormant in the summer, conserving its moisture and strength.

Except in the driest desert regions, mature rosemary, planted in the ground, survives summer with no water at all. Rosemary in a pot, of course, would need regular watering. Rosemary is nicely adapted to poor soil; feed it too much and you will get a lanky, unsightly bunch of twigs.

There are several kinds of rosemary available in Southern California, from the low, spreading prostrate kinds to the tall (up to 6 feet) sentries. It doesn’t set any speed-growing records, adding just a few inches every year, and it can be kept even smaller with pruning.

As for its primary use, rosemary is indispensable in many French and Italian dishes; it can also be whipped into butter for corn on the cob. If you throw a good-sized branch of rosemary onto a barbecue, it will perfume the food as much as the air.

Rosemary is available at most Southern California nurseries in 2 1/2-inch to one-gallon containers.