Since I don't see a forum for herbs, I'll just ask here. How many have dead or dying rosemary plants? Or have you seen lots of dead and dying rosemary all over in Texas areas. Is it due to El Nino?

Water. They need a LOT more water than any instructions I've ever seen. I had so much trouble with mine, but I kept giving it more water. More and more and more water. I grow it in a container and I water it nearly every day. Generously. As long as I do that, it keeps growing and blooming. If I skip too long, it quits blooming and starts dropping leaves and, if I've waited too long, I have to submerge it for a while to get it moisture throughout. It can suck all the moisture out of the soil very quickly. I know it needs upsizing to a larger container because it has outgrown its current residence, but it's taken me about three years to learn to water it every time I walk by it. Early on I thought I'd lost it because it turned brown and growth was dying back.

Really? I've always heard rosemary needs very good drainage. After many years of drought mine did fine with occasional watering. Now, this summer I'm seeing dead or dying rosemary bushes everywhere! Mine is more than half dead. I want to start over with a new plant, but not sure this would be a good time to start over.

I have never watered mine and they have done fine through all weathers for years. Then one gradually died back and now, several years later, I am losing another. They are all growing in almost impossible water spots. Hmmmm...

Arp is finicky for me in my heavy clay soil. I had 5 x 4 one that lasted five years, then suddenly died out. One in too shady an area lasted less than a year. A three-year-old cutting of it did okay through the May flooding rains. The cascading form "Irene" is thriving. It will droop in drought, but the one I have is now four years old and I keep watching it for stress. Wondering if there is a limited age on them?

I've seen hundreds of large rosemaries dying or dead lately...everywhere I go. And yet, some others seem okay. Very puzzling!

Mine has good drainage. Maybe too good? All I know is it quit trying to die when I started giving it lots of water. What I'm growing is the creeping variety. I really like it how it looks and the fragrance!

Donald, how old is your plant?

Going on four years now. After I adjusted and started making sure it gets water, it's done really well. Initially I was thinking I had a xeriscape plant :). Not! I really enjoy it for how it looks as an ornamental plant. The bees, and to a lesser extent, the hummingbirds like it a lot. As long as I'm giving it the water, it tends to stay in bloom for them. Maybe it's the container situation. Last week I saw a huge planting of the upright Rosemary and I'm sure it doesn't get a lot of care. It was doing well and obviously has been doing well for a while. I love the way the plant smells!!

Especially after it has been watered.

Like Debra, I wonder whether the plant has a limited longevity. Does anyone have one older than about 8 years - which I think is the age of my waning plant?

My 6 year old rosemary died this year. It was about 5 feet wide and a really nice specimen. It had survived the 2011 drought without being watered a single time. I don't know why it died.

How do you propagate rosemary? Maybe there needs to be a younger specimen growing to back up an older one.

They are easily propagated by cuttings.

Donald, I take cuttings, at least of the cascading/creeping Rosemary.

Cross posted.

Irene.


Irene with a couple of Greek Oreganos

I hope I remember to try and do a cutting next spring. They are attractive plants to me. Mine is the creeping rosemary, but the upright ones are nice. At the moment, mine is hanging like so many of my plants, but if I can get an old concrete planter emptied, it will get moved there.

I like that one.

Mine are only a few years old and the leaves are covered with brown spots. Both plants looked so healthy the previous years and now they both have l spots. I don't know what I'm doing wrong? I gave them water at least once or twice a week.