The woody evergreen rosemary fills the garden with spicy scents, and activity. Butterflies and bees love the blooms that are commonly blue but also come in pink and white. This lends it to be an ideal plant to use in flower gardens, and cut as hedges and topiaries.
We do not always think of rosemary as a plant to use in crafts. It is a great medium to use in the art of bonsai. The hardiness and woody texture of rosemary allows the intricate cutting and shaping of the creating the desired shapes. And the quick growth of the plant gives nearly immediate gratification to bonsai gardener.
Rosemary is easy to grow; it grows as both a perennial and an annual – depending on the growing zone you live in. In colder climates the plants should be brought into the house during the winter. They’ll do well in a warm, sunny window. Beware of overwatering!
To avoid having to dig the plants up they can be left in their containers when placed outside. They will need to be repotted when they outgrow their container home. You’ll want to keep rosemary in a container. It’s in the mint family, and can sure “grow like a weed!”
Most of us have heard of the herb rosemary in culinary preparations; but it has also been used through history in family traditions and healing.
Rosemary is used as a sign for binding love and fidelity. Last month my husband Keith brought me a bouquet of multi-colored roses with large sprigs of rosemary in it; the aroma was exotic and intense. This theme has also been carried into wedding celebrations with the bride’s bouquet containing sprigs of fresh rosemary. The guests and family members would also plant rosemary plants around the newlywed’s home, symbolizing love and fidelity.
Fresh-cut rosemary became a strong symbol of remembrance in Victorian times; flowers that were brought to funerals included rosemary cuttings. Mourners would throw branches of rosemary into the grave to show respect for the departed.
In homeopathic healing; placing rosemary under your pillow is said to be a way to ward away nightmares and migraine headaches. A quick internet search can turn up other uses for rosemary too: use in a foot soak, as an air freshner or a hair rinse.
Once you understand the many uses for this wonderful herb, you can use it around your home in so many ways!
