Blazing a Trail into Spring with Trailing Rosemary

In winter, people seem drawn to warm and spicy scents, but come spring, clean and herbal scents make most of us feel ‘alive’. Many of us want to wear these scents in the form of soaps and perfumes, and I would venture to say that most gardeners seek out scented plants to add to their displays. There is nothing like a garden that addresses all five senses, and adding fragrant plants is a prime way to satisfy our sense of smell.

Sometimes the best way to introduce a refreshing, herbal scent to the garden is… well, to plant an herb such as fragrant Rosemary. Some culinary herbs can be dug into the soil early and are as attractive as other good foliage or flowering plants. Trailing Rosemary, or Rosmarinus prostratus, is one of these highly attractive plants. 

Trailing Rosemary is a good looking ‘spiller’ for containers on the patio, with pine needle-like foliage that punctuates vining stems. Stems grow long and produce an airy effect as they cascade from planters. And Trailing Rosemary does double-duty as a ‘filler’ when placed in the garden to green up bare patches by creeping along soil and stones. But what is better than its growing habit is the ability of Trailing Rosemary to draw in garden visitors with its clean, herbal perfume. Rosmarinus prostratus is fragrant as can be, introducing a scent that calls out, “Spring is here!”

In containers, the sparse needles on the vining stems of Trailing Rosemary provide nice contrast to spillers such as sweet potato vines, with their much larger foliage and fuller look. Add a nice upright plant and a filler, and you will have an impressive display. And for Trailing Rosemary, at least, the planter need not be large. Growing in tight quarters will not phase Rosmarinus prostratus. 

The delicate look of Rosmarinus prostratus hides the fact that, in truth, it is anything but delicate and anything but fussy. Herbs, in general, do not need endless root space. They grow year after year if planted in the right climates or over-wintered indoors. Trailing Rosemary, in particular, is tougher than most plants… and dare I say, even tougher than many other herbs. It likes bright light and well draining soil. And over time, with Trailing Rosemary, I have learned to ignore my desire to add fertilizer. I have come to know that when caring for Trailing Rosemary, ‘care’ amounts to nothing more than watering bi-weekly or weekly (or slightly more if it is grown in a container that dries out quickly).

Rosmarinus prostratus does not mind getting its start on a sunny countertop before the weather turns. Later, it can be moved to a patio and kept as a container planting or moved directly into a garden bed. Trailing Rosemary can tolerate transplanting with ease. Again, it is strong and easy-going.

In addition to other harbingers of spring, such as early sightings of the American robin or even the busy chipmunk, the arrival of herbs such as Trailing Rosemary at garden centers and online shops signals spring. When the scent of these fragrant plants gets in the air, that is when I know that warm days really are ahead.

Now one note is that although I use Trailing Rosemary for its looks and scent, it is edible. Rosmarinus prostratus could indeed become part of a culinary herb garden, and its pungent flavor would be no different from that of the upright Rosemary, more commonly used in cooking. But I talk about Trailing Rosemary in a manner that conveys what it is to me: To me, it is an attractive plant to use when I need something that drapes over a container, thrives without fuss, and emits an herbal scent when brushed, rubbed, or sometimes even just warmed by the sun. 

I have happily moved my clocks forward for the last time. And now I am more than happy to spring ahead, in earnest, with Trailing Rosemary adding a ‘tasteful’ touch (and fragrance) to my garden displays.