With this publication I begin a series of posts about the aromatic plants that I have in my garden and the first review is dedicated to rosemary.
Actually it is not the only one, I also have oregano, parsley, basil, sage, rue, cedron, pennyroyal and mint among others. But rosemary has a special bearing: for its size, for its nobility since it requires very little care and for the innumerable uses and properties it possesses, which make it suitable not only for culinary preparations but also for a great number of applications for the benefit of our health.
Among other advantages, it can be reproduced by cuttings, although special care must be taken in the time and method of transplanting for this task to be crowned with success.
Like all the aromatic plants, it is pruned automatically as we use the twigs in our meals or in some other application destined to improve our health.
I will deal with all that in this post, not as an expert but as a fan of plants and the time I have dedicated to them during all these years.
Finally, in this brief introduction, a detail that should not go unnoticed: it is one of the first garden plants to bloom and before spring arrives, as you can see in the photos, it is already surrounded by a constant and numerous swarm of bees extremely busy in extracting the first pollen of the season.
Spring is here, and with it the flowers and the bees.
As I said earlier, rosemary is one of the first plants in the garden to bloom. Its beautiful flowers, small and bouquet-like, light violet, give a special color to the green that begins to appear in the rest of the plants.
Rosemary is an evergreen plant that does not suffer too much from cold or heat, and as ideal temperature conditions it needs to be in a place that does not suffer too much direct strong midday summer sun and that is moderately sheltered during the winter.
The permanent green color throughout the year added to the violet of the flowers are a true multicolored oasis in the middle of the winter desolation of the garden where most of the parts are dry, withered or have not yet begun to germinate.
Together with the aromo that can be seen on the sidewalks of the cities and in some country places, they are one of the plants that first bloom before spring arrives and as soon as the cold winter temperatures begin to rise.
How to prune rosemary.
As I said before, rosemary, like any other aromatic plant, is pruned as we use the twigs, especially in cooking. Stews, stews and the thousand and one ways to cook meat and vegetables see it as one of the main ingredients in seasoning.
A very common practice, and also discouraged, is to cut the twigs by hand, pulling them carelessly from the plant. The ideal is to cut the twig with a pair of scissors so that the cut is clear and does not favor the entry of pests or bacteria in the trunk.
But it can also happen that this minimal pruning work is insufficient and, as in the case of my plant, it develops disproportionately. In this case it is necessary to intervene with a more energetic pruning, with special pruning shears to rejuvenate the plant on the one hand and, on the other hand, to give a certain harmony to its growth and development.
It is always advisable to remove the oldest branches (they have a woody constitution and are easy to identify) and leave the youngest branches to develop. On the other hand, it is from the youngest branches that the flowers come out, another reason to let them grow freely.
As with all plants, pruning is best done when the sap is down in the trunk as the plant suffers less. And this generally occurs with cold temperatures, that is to say, during the winter, if it is at the beginning or in the middle of winter the better.
In this way there is no danger of new shoots appearing as they start to appear around spring when the sap from the trunk starts to rise towards the top, precisely because of the higher temperatures. It is important as I always say to seal the cuts with beeswax or any other similar product.
We can also apply organic pesticides to aromatic plants but, unlike citrus and other fruit trees, we must be careful, since in this case the component of the plant that we use is not any fruit but the leaves themselves.
And although neem oil mixed with potassium soap is harmless to human health, the same as copper sulfate, if we apply it intensively on the leaves of any aromatic plant, it could resent the taste, the flavor that they give to food for example.
In the case of rosemary, the ideal is to apply the organic pesticide to the trunk, which is almost never used, and to the base of the oldest and woodiest branches. Always sprinkling with a sprayer and trying not to reach the leaves or even "painting" trunks and branches with a brush.
If you observe the plant carefully you will see that the bark of the trunk dries little by little and separates from the trunk. There is no need to be alarmed, it is a natural process that indicates the aging of the plant. A good technique is to remove the bark that sooner or later will fall off in order to favor the "breathing" of the main trunk.
How to transplant pruned cuttings.
In my case I found myself with a large number of pruned branches and I had two alternatives: throw them away or select the most robust ones and make cuttings for transplanting. I opted for the second alternative.
In this case it is necessary to clean the branch of leaves so that the process of radication concentrates in the base and in developing the roots that will serve as the main support for the reproduction of the plant.
An interesting technique is to clean the base of the trunk at least 5-10 cm leaving the trunk "alive" so that it comes in direct contact with the soil.
On the other hand, on the upper part of the cutting it is advisable to make an oblique cut to prevent rain or irrigation water from being deposited inside the cutting. This is one of the main causes of the death of cuttings.
During the first few days after transplanting, it is advisable to water the rosemary regularly to encourage the roots to root. Subsequently, rosemary does not need too much water because it has a good reserve of moisture through the root apparatus.
Transplanting can be done directly in soil or in specially prepared containers, especially those with good water drainage. I usually opt for a solution as old as it is simple: I use old jars or buckets, made of sheet or plastic, it doesn't matter, and I make a couple of holes in the bottom so that the water doesn't stagnate. It gives excellent results.
It is convenient to place the cuttings in a place where they enjoy the maximum amount of natural light during the whole day and at the same time average temperatures that do not alter too much the development of the plant.
The best period of the year to transplant them is precisely as soon as the pruning is finished, that is to say towards the end of winter, beginning of spring.
To prevent them from being attacked by the pests that at the beginning of spring attack our garden with particular enthusiasm, it is advisable to fumigate the cuttings once a week with potassium soap and neem oil, or directly with copper sulfate diluted in water.
The proportions to prepare these pesticides I have already given you in previous posts. They are very effective, organic, do not harm the environment, can be applied without problems on plants because they are harmless to human health, and do not harm our pets. The only drawback is that we must apply them more often than organic pesticides because they have a slower action power.
In my case I have chosen to transplant the cuttings in different places in my garden to see which is the position in which they develop and grow more vigorously.
I have also transplanted them in containers and in soil, near and far from some plants, near and far from dividing walls. I was very embarrassed to throw away the branches and for this reason, I selected the best ones and transplanted them. If they all grow, I will have to give many of them away to friends, acquaintances and relatives because it will be impossible for me to house them in my garden of limited dimensions.
Seeing the bees dancing continuously around the rosemary plant is a real spectacle. Maybe they belong to a hive installed near my house. I have not seen it yet, but this is an area where there are many beekeepers who take advantage of having some hives at home and have fresh and pure honey all year round.
I like honey very much and I buy it not from supermarkets but from people who usually come knocking on my door offering honey in half kg jars. Maybe the honey I buy, in some cases, is produced by the same bees that frequent my garden. Anything is possible.
Another way to use the rosemary: drying the branches.
After pruning I found myself with so many branches that I felt sorry to throw them away. For this reason, apart from those selected for the cuttings to be transplanted, I took the trouble to cut the best twigs, that is to say those that still had very healthy leaves, I made several bunches or clusters, I tied them with a thread and I put them to dry.
It is an ancient technique used by our grandmothers and mothers to always have in a jar in the kitchen cupboard these ingredients that, even dried, do not lose their fragrance and much less their flavor. It is always more convenient than going to the garden to cut a twig, perhaps on a rainy or very cold day.
It is also convenient for those people who, for one reason or another, cannot - or do not want to - grow plants in their garden. But who do not disdain the value and advantages of using natural products, especially in the kitchen.
Unfortunately, the technique of gardening, like that of the vegetable garden, is gradually being lost. People want to have a clean yard at home, without leaves that make it dirty - and force them to sweep and pick them up - and this leads them to resort more and more often to pre-packaged products that we find in supermarkets and shopping centers. It is a pity that they often retain little or nothing of their original aroma.
Therapeutic and culinary uses of rosemary.
I have left this part for the end because I really wanted to concentrate on showing the cultivation, reproduction and care of this magnificent and noble aromatic plant. The rest of the information can be found in many sources.
It has been proven that, apart from the particular taste it gives to food, it helps digestion as it has anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties. It can also be taken as an infusion or even boil the herbs, filter and use the water to wash your hair.
In general it has an antibacterial, antiseptic, fungicidal and balsamic effect and some studies have even shown an interesting healing power in wounds.
It is also an effective anti-flea and is used to make the so-called "gardener's soap" with remarkable cleaning properties.
I will comment on all these properties in more detail in future posts