Herb Gardening: Popular Rosemary Varietals

Rosemary is one of the most attractive of the herbs to grow, and a thriving rosemary on a patio or in a garden will provide a constant source of fresh flavors for any home cook. As with most herbs, there are a number of rosemary varietals to consider, depending on the space that you have available and whether you are growing rosemary as a culinary herb or ornamental plant. Here is some basic information on the most popular varieties of rosemary.

Arp Rosemary

Arp rosemary is a common varietal of the herb that is particularly adept at surviving harsh winters, with standing temperatures of fifteen degrees below zero Fahrenheit. This is a perfectly useful culinary variety of rosemary as well.

Spicy Islands Rosemary

A relatively new cultivar of the herb, spicy islands rosemary is supposed to be particularly flavorful. The plant has blue flowers, enjoys full sun and grows to three feet in height. One cool use for spicy islands rosemary that I ran across is too use the plants hardy branches as flavorful stakes when making grilled kabobs!

Creeping Rosemary

In terms of ornamental varieties of rosemary, creeping rosemary is easily my favorite. Unlike other cultivars, this prostrate rosemary grows right along the earth, making it a great ground cover or even a striking rock crop that will creep and stream down the side of rock faces or stone walls.

Upright Rosemary

Living up to its name, upright rosemary is stoic in stature. This probably the most popular variety of rosemary with a number of variations on the theme. Tuscan Blue is particularly common version with nice and dark green leaves, striking flowers and a reliably robust flavor.

White Rosemary

White rosemary is a particularly popular herb to grow as a shrub in gardens, with its powerful scent, white flowers and upright habit. As popular as this rosemary variety is as an ornamental, it is still a popular cultivar for culinary use.

Majorca Pink Rosemary

Majorca pink rosemary is also an upright version of the herb, but this ornamental variety has relatively large, light pink flowers that make it a pretty unusual rosemary. The branches twist around the trunk when upright and then sweep down once at a certain height, making it a potentially very attractive ornamental in a container if grown with care.

Sources:

http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/mvv1-00.htm
http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Rosemary_Varieties
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/rosoffalbiflorus.htm
http://www.greenwoodnursery.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ROS%20PI%20PT-3
http://www.petesherbs.com/Rosemary.htm#Tuscan Blue
http://www.finegardening.com/plantguide/rosmarinus-officinalis-prostratus-creeping-rosemary.aspx