Christmas rosemary worth trying to keep healthy

By Lucia Haddad

OSU Ext. master gardener volunteer

We see them everywhere this time of year – small “Christmas trees” with a heavenly pine aroma. These are actually the herb rosemary.

A traditional Christmas herb, legend holds that the Holy Family sheltered beneath a rosemary shrub in their flight from Egypt and, when Mary spread her blue cloak over the white blossoms, they turned blue in her honor.

Rosemary is an evergreen perennial in warm climates, but not in our zone. It is worth trying to keep your Christmas rosemary healthy over the winter so it can be added to your garden in the spring.

Rosemary is native to the coastlines of the Mediterranean, a far cry from our Northeast Ohio winters. Our gray days and warm, dry houses make over-wintering a challenge, but it is possible if you create that Mediterranean climate in your home. Remember three guidelines: full sun, humid air and dry roots.

Once the holidays are over, remove the decorative foil and make sure there are drainage holes in the pot. Fill a small tray with pebbles and some water, keeping the tops of the pebbles dry. This will create humidity without rotting the roots. Place the pot in the sunniest spot in your home, away from hot, dry blasts of the furnace.

Water rosemary when the soil is dry to about 1 inch below the surface. The most effective method is to submerge the pot of rosemary in a large bucket filled with water and let it sit for about an hour. Let it drain, then put it back on the pebble tray.

There are two common problems with housebound rosemary. Powdery mildew will cause a white coating on the leaves. It is not attractive, but will disappear when the plant is moved outdoors. White dots on the leaves are probably spider mites, often a sign of poor air circulation. They can be removed by putting the pot in the bathtub and giving it a shower.

Once spring arrives, plant rosemary outside in a sunny, well-drained location. Rosemary performs best in poor soil, so do not add organic matter or fertilize. Rosemary is used in cooking, baking, butters, teas and herb mixes. It is added to potpourri, sachets and dried wreaths.

Perhaps this summer, the best Christmas gift of 2016 will be the heavenly scent and blue blossoms of rosemary in your Ohio garden.

For more information, visit go.osu.edu/rosemaryinside.