The soil should be kept moist, but good drainage is a necessity. Plants do best in bright light (full sun) in well-drained soil. Because it is winter hardy only to about 20☏, rosemary is generally only grown as a potted plant in Wisconsin. Rosemary is now widely cultivated outside of Europe. Rosemary is used as a landscape plant in mild climates. The small flowers grow in clusters along the branches. The small, pale blue, pink, or white flowers grow in clusters of two or three along branches. The thick, leathery leaves resemble needles, with a dark green upper surface and powdery white, hairy underside. The plant has a grayish-green appearance. In Australia today, a sprig is worn on Anzac Day in memory of the dead. It was used in embalming and was placed in tombs as far back as ancient Egypt. It also became a funeral flower, symbolizing the memories of loved ones. Someone could be made to fall in love merely by being tapped on the finger with a sprig of rosemary. It was added to wine and used to toast the bride’s special wishes. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia says ‘There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray you love, remember.’ Rosemary was entwined into the bride’s head wreath to encourage couples to remember their wedding vows. In Roman times, students wore springs of rosemary in their hair so that their memories would be better. There are various stories or legends to explain this association.Įven in ancient times, rosemary was associated with remembrance, memory, and fidelity. It was later called Rose of Mary or rosemary in honor of the Virgin Mary. The name Rosmarinus comes from the Latin ros maris or ‘dew of the sea’, from the dew-like appearance sea spray creates on plants growing close to the water. The plant was also brought to Britain with the Roman armies. There it grows to a tall shrub 4 to 6 feet high. Rosemary ( Rosemarinus officinalis) is an aromatic, perennial evergreen shrub in the mint family (Labiatae) native to the hills along the Mediterranean, Portugal, and northwestern Spain.Ĭharacteristic habitat of rosemary, southern France near Pont du Gard.
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