Rosemary : Rosmarinus

Dozens of sizes and types axe available, including a dwarf variety. Not all are good for cooking, so taste a leaf first.

Once thought to stimulate memory, this herb has been used for cooking, medicine and gardening for centuries. Plants make tough, aromatic, drought-tolerant evergreen shrubs. They range from an erosion-controlling ground-hugger to absolutely upright and are used as hedges and borders. Honey bees and some birds are attracted to its small blossoms of white, lavender, pink or blue. Repels garden moths. In cooking, use the pine-like leaves, fresh or dried, with meat and poultry. Good as year-round houseplants, they're also used in small topiary in the shapes of globes, wreaths and Christmas trees. Full sun, little if any water and good drainage are essential to this Mediterranean native. Won't tolerate cold winters, humidity or wet soil. Buy in pots, or put cuttings in water until they sprout roots, then plant. Pinch back growing tips while plant is young. Cut back older plants to increase side branching.