Rosemary care guide

Water your rosemary when the top 4 cm (1.6 in) of soil feel dry to the touch, typically every 6 to 8 days while it grows and flowers. Use room-temperature water and let any excess drain. Never leave the pot sitting in standing water.

Rosemary needs several hours of direct sun. Turn the pot every week so it grows evenly. Place it directly in front of a south- or southwest-facing window.

Feed your rosemary every 90 days while it’s actively growing. Use a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer at half the strength on the label, and only on soil that’s already damp. Feeding dry roots can scorch them.

When growth pauses, skip the fertilizer and let it rest.

Rosemary is comfortable between 10 and 24 °C (50⁠–⁠75 °F). Planted out, established plants take light frost to about minus 5 °C (23 °F). In a pot, bring it into a bright, frost-free place once nights fall to about 0 °C (32 °F).

It does best at 40–60% humidity. It doesn’t need misting.

The small cone-shaped rosemary trees sold at Christmas are ordinary rosemary, pruned into a tree shape. They need the same care as any potted rosemary.

Take off the decorative foil, or empty it after every watering, because it traps water around the roots. Stand the pot on a drip tray instead.

Give it the sunniest window you have and turn it every week so every side gets light. Keep it cool and away from radiators and heat vents. In a dark room, a grow light that does not give off heat helps.

Heated rooms dry the pot fast, so feel the soil once or twice a week and water when the top 4 cm (1.6 in) is dry.

The shape slowly changes as it grows and as you snip sprigs for the kitchen. That is normal. In spring, once frost is over, it can go outdoors into full sun and well-drained soil.

Move potted rosemary into winter quarters once nights fall to about 0 °C (32 °F) and keep it bright and cool at 5 to 12 °C (41⁠–⁠54 °F). Cold, wet soil is more dangerous than dryness.

Overwintering rosemary: the full guide