Mine is on the west side of the house and has never had problems. It is 3 years old and I had to radically cut it back since it was spreading and getting very tall (5' width and about 4 1/2' tall). It is coming back nicely after pruning and in between I pick off all the blossoms and use sprigs in cooking and to give to friends that visit. Never had it attacked by any pests or any problems. If I were having trouble I would suspect a pesticide drift or some other chemical if you have ruled out soil problems.

jo3ponies
swok

Hi Gracie,

Haven't seen you here in a while. Welcome back.

Don't you have clay soil? Did you add something to it to improve its drainage? My best guess is poor soil drainage or poor soil fertility. Tell us more about its growing conditions. Rosemary usually is easy to grow as long as it has well-drained soil.

I grow my rosemary in well-drained, well-amended clay soil in a bed raised about 4" above grade level.

Dawn

I keep mine in a pot and over winter it in the house. Last year I lost a huge rosemary plant from the snow. That is the only way I have gotten it to grow and grow well.

(PS I used miracle grow potting soil in the pot)

Thank you for your advice! Thanks for the welcome back- Okiedawn :) Hmm.. I still do not know what I am doing wrong. My basil is in the same bed and it is doing great. It gets morning water every day from our srinkler system in the beds. It could be the clay soil? What should I do to the soil now that it is planted?

Gracie,

Basil tolerates all kinds of soil and isn't nearly as picky as rosemary. Every type of plant has its own particular growing conditions that it needs, and rosemary needs much better drainage than basil does. I'd dig up the rosemary and put it in a pot. It is never going to be happy in clay and will have have a hard time surviving the winter in poorly drained soil. Otherwise, the rosemary needs to be in a raised bed several inches above grade level and and in improved soil, so either clay to which you've added a lot of amendments or imported, bagged high-quality soil dumped into the raised bed. I can grow basil anywhere in my clay...raised bed or not, improved soil or not. It even reseeds and grows fine in the compacted soil in the garden pathways. Rosemary is a diva compared to basil. Just give Ms. Rosemary what she needs and wants, or she'll sulk and pout and eventually die.

For comparison's sake, we planted a 4" rosemary in a raised bed filled with well-improved clay in our granddaughter's Peter Rabbit Garden in April and it now is about 12" tall, despite the efforts of one three-year-old to water it to death with water from her little blue watering can. You've got to give it what it needs if you want it to grow well for you.

Dawn

Thanks Dawn- When the rain stops I will dig up poor Ms. Rosemary and put her to pot! LOL! Then where should I put her, in the sun or shade- or morn. sun aft shade??

Gracie,

Mine does just fine in full sun. The one in Maddie's Peter Rabbit Garden is on the Western side of the potting shed and gets shaded by that shed until about noon, and then it really gets roasted all afternoon long, enduring the hot sun and the reflected heat from the metal wall of the shed. It is growing better than mine. Maybe it likes morning shade from the potting shed, and then sweltering heat all afternoon long?

Remember that rosemary does well in Mediterranean type conditions, so heat and sunlight are not a problem for it.

Dawn

Rosemary lives like a weed here in AZ. Full sun and dry, even in our heat. Does not like wet feet at all!