Rosemary Plants Dried Out

Question

I live in Allentown, Pennsylvania and had two rosemary plants doing great all year until end of February after a big snowstorm and very cold temperatures. I noticed in March that one was all brown, except for one or two branches. The other one has about ten green branches. I tried to cut them back and give them plenty of water, but they’re not doing any better. Any suggestions, or is it too late to save them? Should I wait a little longer? We really enjoyed the cuttings and smell last year.

Answer 1

Rosemary is a Mediterranean plant and won’t take kindly to snow and ice! Most varieties of Rosemary don’t necessarily sprout on old wood and often won’t recover a good shape once they have suffered “the brown” state, so if you do not like the shape of your rosemary bushes now, why don’t you take some cuttings from the new growth and pot them up? Remove the lower leaves and insert two or three cuttings per pot of fresh potting mix. After watering, put the pots in a warm sheltered spot (no direct sunshine) Do not over water but remember to water the pots when the soil starts to dry a little. It will only be a matter of weeks before your cuttings sprout roots and once they have had a season’s growth they may be “potted on” to individual larger pots or planted out into your garden. To speed up the root growing process you may like to use root growth hormone prior to planting. Remember to use a dibber or pencil to make the hole for the cutting as pushing the cuttings directly into the soil may damage the end of the cutting. Using a sharp knife to removing a sliver of bark along two sides of the bare part of the cutting may also help. Press the soil firmly into the hole and around the cutting before watering.