To Grow The Best Rosemary Plants, Avoid This Rookie Mistake

Benign neglect isn't just a parenting philosophy to raise independent kids; it's a gardening hack that will help your rosemary thrive. This hearty herb, which adds a woodsy quality to your steaks with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil, doesn't need a lot of TLC to thrive. While some plants need constant attention and watering, hello, oldest and youngest child, it can lead to root rot in rosemary, resulting in its demise. This is why it's essential not to overwater it if you want a lush shrub growing in your garden or even a little potted version in your kitchen.

Rosemary is a fairly drought-tolerant plant. It is native to the Mediterranean, Portugal, and northwestern Spain. It needs lots of direct sunlight, but it actually prefers a soil that is well-drained and on the dry side. This is why, if you are growing it in a pot, you want the pot to have a hole in it so it can drain. If your potted rosemary plants are small enough to lift up, do so when watering, and you will be able to see the water drip out of the bottom.

If you plant rosemary in the ground, be sure to add gravel to the soil for best results and create a mound or raised bed. Building a rocky habitat for it will help with drainage and make it feel at home. However, while its roots don't mind being parched, the leaves love a little spritz. For this reason, you want to make certain the greenery gets a little moisture, too. 

How often should you water rosemary plants? Remember, benign neglect doesn't equal complete neglect. Once it is almost fully grown, you want to adopt a bi-weekly watering schedule if the rosemary is planted in the ground, and a weekly approach is needed if it is potted sans a saucer. 

Rosemary can be tough to get right, but when you do, you should craft drinks for a victory party to mark this milestone. A rosemary ginger fizz or rosemary pear mimosa is the perfect way to celebrate all your hard work, because while your rosemary might not need its thirst quenched with great frequency, the gardener definitely does.