Tuscan Blue Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis 'Tuscan Blue'
Quickly forms an upright hedge of aromatic needle-like foliage. Profuse clear blue flowers add to the effect. Foliage can be used as a flavorful spice in cooking. Takes to pruning well, perfect for screens. Evergreen.
| Botanical Pronunciation: | rohs-ma-RY-nus o-fis-i-NAY-lis |
| Key feature: | Deer Resistant |
| Plant type: | Shrub |
| Garden styles: | Cottage, Mediterranean |
| Deciduous/evergreen: | Evergreen |
| Cold hardiness zones: | 8 - 10 |
| Light needs: | Full sun |
| Sunset climate zones: | 4 - 24, 26 - 32 |
| Water Needs: | Once established, needs only occasional watering. |
| Average landscape size: | Moderate growing 6 ft. tall, 2 to 4 ft. wide. |
| Growth rate: | Moderate |
| Growth habit: | Narrow |
| Flower attribute: | Fragrant |
| Special features: | Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Deer Resistant, Easy Care, Edible, Waterwise |
| Landscape uses: | Border, Container, Hedge, Mass Planting, Rock Garden, Seacoast Exposure |
| Flower color: | Blue |
| Blooms: | Spring through summer |
| Foliage color: | Green |
| Item no.: | 7028 |
| Retailers for this plant: |
Care Information
Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a tidy, neat appearance, shear annually to shape. Pruning time: spring after flowering.
Design Ideas
Plant as a fragrant, sheared hedge or natural growing screen. Use the trimmings in the kitchen. Place at the rear of mixed beds close to your outdoor living space or between windows as a foundation plant to take advantage of its wonderful fragrance. A must in a Mediterranean garden. Place in full sun for the healthiest plant.
Companion Plants
Clip into a formal hedge and create a parterre or knot garden with topiaries and other herb plants like Lavender, Sage and Thyme. In a natural setting, pair with big blooming, sun loving shrubs and perennials like Rockrose, Tree Mallow, Yarrow, and Rose of Sharon.
History
Rosemary is a valuable Old World aromatic shrub from Europe through Asia Minor. It is native to much of the Mediterranean region and most specifically in the south of France. It was classified by Linnaeus into the mint family and he named its genus from the Latin for sea-dew because it is commonly found on the chalk hills along the seacoast. There are only two species grown, and this one was the primary plant used in the herbal pharmacoepia. It remains today a valuable culinary herb and dryland garden plant. This is a very large upright cultivar that dwarfs the original species and makes a fine xeriscape shrub.
Quickly forms an upright hedge of aromatic needle-like foliage. Profuse clear blue flowers add to the effect. Foliage can be used as a flavorful spice in cooking. Takes to pruning well, perfect for screens. Evergreen.
Care Information
Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a tidy, neat appearance, shear annually to shape. Pruning time: spring after flowering.
Design Ideas
Plant as a fragrant, sheared hedge or natural growing screen. Use the trimmings in the kitchen. Place at the rear of mixed beds close to your outdoor living space or between windows as a foundation plant to take advantage of its wonderful fragrance. A must in a Mediterranean garden. Place in full sun for the healthiest plant.
Companion Plants
Clip into a formal hedge and create a parterre or knot garden with topiaries and other herb plants like Lavender, Sage and Thyme. In a natural setting, pair with big blooming, sun loving shrubs and perennials like Rockrose, Tree Mallow, Yarrow, and Rose of Sharon.
History
Rosemary is a valuable Old World aromatic shrub from Europe through Asia Minor. It is native to much of the Mediterranean region and most specifically in the south of France. It was classified by Linnaeus into the mint family and he named its genus from the Latin for sea-dew because it is commonly found on the chalk hills along the seacoast. There are only two species grown, and this one was the primary plant used in the herbal pharmacoepia. It remains today a valuable culinary herb and dryland garden plant. This is a very large upright cultivar that dwarfs the original species and makes a fine xeriscape shrub.
| Botanical Pronunciation: | rohs-ma-RY-nus o-fis-i-NAY-lis |
| Key feature: | Deer Resistant |
| Plant type: | Shrub |
| Garden styles: | Cottage, Mediterranean |
| Deciduous/evergreen: | Evergreen |
| Cold hardiness zones: | 8 - 10 |
| Light needs: | Full sun |
| Sunset climate zones: | 4 - 24, 26 - 32 |
| Water Needs: | Once established, needs only occasional watering. |
| Average landscape size: | Moderate growing 6 ft. tall, 2 to 4 ft. wide. |
| Growth rate: | Moderate |
| Growth habit: | Narrow |
| Flower attribute: | Fragrant |
| Special features: | Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Deer Resistant, Easy Care, Edible, Waterwise |
| Landscape uses: | Border, Container, Hedge, Mass Planting, Rock Garden, Seacoast Exposure |
| Flower color: | Blue |
| Blooms: | Spring through summer |
| Foliage color: | Green |
| Item no.: | 7028 |
