Table of contents
- Origin
- Care as a culinary herb
- When does it bloom with us?
- The blossom of the rosemary
- When there is no flowering
Rosemary needles are an aromatic condiment. Since it cannot withstand lower temperatures, it is overwintered indoors in our latitudes. Older plants then shine with their blooms in spring.
Origin
The herb comes from the Mediterranean region and grows wild there as an evergreen shrub that can reach a height of 2 m. In its homeland, the rosemary bush blooms all year round. The blue flowers are very popular with insects and are often flown to.
Care as a culinary herb
In Germany, rosemary is not hardy, except in very mild regions or with certain varieties. It is often grown as a container plant and overwinters indoors. However, this also affects the flowering period.
When does it bloom with us?
After the winter, the container plant is placed outside again. Since rosemary is not quite as sensitive to cold, it can sometimes go outside as early as March. Then, or already in late winter, the plant is cut back. It grows bushier and branches out better.
The flowers appear shortly after clearing, sometimes as early as March. They sit around the ends of the shoots in the leaf axils. More flowers will appear until May. A few varieties do not flower until September.
A notice:
If the herb is cut back vigorously after flowering, it can flower a second time in summer.
The blossom of the rosemary
The kitchen herb is a mint family. The colors vary depending on the variety:
- blue
- blue violet
- Light Blue
- pink
- white
The taste and aroma of the plant does not change. There is no need to prevent flowering or prune off flowering branches. On the contrary, the flowers are also edible and enrich the kitchen with their decorative appearance. They are used in salads or on baked goods. When cooked, the flowers lose their aroma, so they are only used raw. The needles, on the other hand, impart their flavor to the food as they cook with it.
When there is no flowering
The plant may have been cut back too much or it was too warm in the winter quarters. The plant needs a winter temperature drop to flower. Temperatures of around 10 degrees in winter are completely sufficient for rosemary, it even tolerates lower temperatures down to minus 8 degrees. It must not be too wet under any circumstances, as this affects the frost hardness. The nutrient supply is of less importance for the flower, as a weak feeder the herb hardly needs any additional nutrients.
A notice:
An unheated greenhouse in which there is not too much frost is well suited for rosemary plants.
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