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Pruning Rosemary
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Date Posted: Tue, Mar 03 - 11:11 am
- I moved into a house with an overgrown Rosemary bush. I love it but I think it needs some help. How would you prune it without killing it. I'm afraid if I trim it too far back it might die. I have no idea how old it is.
- Thank you for your question — what a gift to inherit a mature rosemary plant! Established rosemary can live for many years, but it does tend to become woody and overgrown over time. The most important thing to know is that rosemary does not reliably regrow from old, bare wood. If you cut back into thick, leafless stems, those sections often will not resprout. For that reason, pruning should be done conservatively and gradually. The best time to prune rosemary in Virginia is in early spring after the risk of hard frost has passed, or lightly after it finishes flowering. Begin by removing any clearly dead wood — you can gently scratch the bark with your fingernail to check for green tissue underneath, which indicates the stem is still alive. When shaping the plant, avoid cutting back into bare woody stems. Instead, always leave at least an inch or two of green growth on the stem. It’s safest to remove no more than about one-third of the plant at a time, especially if it is quite overgrown. If significant reduction is needed, spreading the pruning out over one or two growing seasons will reduce stress on the plant. When making cuts, trim just above a set of green leaves to encourage branching and fuller growth. If most of the plant consists of woody stems with growth only at the tips, you may be limited to light shaping rather than a dramatic cutback. In that case, you might consider taking a few soft cuttings in spring to start a new plant as a backup. Good luck! I love having fresh rosemary to pick from in the backyard! I hope you will be able to enjoy this plant for many years to come.