Rosemary For Christmas (Propagation)

I love my herbs as much as my heirlooms for the folklore and the history. Have you ever noticed all those pretty little Rosemary Christmas Tree Topiaries at the market for the Holiday's. I've always thought they made such splendid little trees for Christmas.

However, there are tales told of Rosemary as far back as biblical times. It was said that the Virgin Mary had thrown her blue cloak over a Rosemary bush that bloomed of white, and from that time on it has always bloomed blue as remembrance of the Birth of Christ.

Folks during the Victorian era would lay sprigs of Rosemary on the floor all around the base of their Christmas trees, so that as one stepped upon them the sprigs would release their fragrance thus to remember Christ.

There are symbols to which each herb may represent and as for Rosemary, it is of course remembrance & friendship.

Rosemary Cuttings

November in Southeast Texas is my favorite time of year to make Rosemary cuttings to pot up for next spring. It reminds me that Christmas is just right around the corner.

It is also a companion plant for my lovely little carrot sprouts to deter the carrot fly. So as I take my cuttings, all the extra needle like leaves I remove from the bottom of the stems, I will sprinkle around in the beds where my carrots are growing.

Rosemary also deters the cabbage moth and a few sprinkles around them will help keep them safe. By planting companion herbs directly in the garden with your vegetables and fruits you'll begin to discover how they assist you with a vast array of organic growing efforts.

Rosemary growing with my dormant Grapevines

It's a fact that Rosemary is an evergreen in Southeast Texas. Last year we had an exceptionally cold winter with a few days of snow. The plants all remained green and hardy through it all.

Just remember that just because it is cold out doesn't mean to quit watering when things become dry, although Rosemary holds up quite well to dry spells. This may mean watering once in two weeks compared to just about every other day during our hot dry periods in the summer.

This will provide you with an opportunity to stick your fingers in the dirt to check it. After all, according to mental health experts, contact with your garden soil releases a happy chemical called Serotonin to our brains and keeps us from depressions. So I call it my daily dirt buzz. That could be another blog I suspect. At any rate, the soil can be deceiving just upon a glance, especially in the winter time.

So by all means enjoy your Rosemary for Christmas this winter. Gaze upon it with remembrance for it shall bloom of blue.

Share it with friends and family this holiday season with some sweet and savory Lemon Rosemary Victorian Christmas Tea Cookies. I would love to blog my recipe for you the moment I begin my holiday baking.

Just be sure to have your Rosemary ready and if you plan to do cuttings, pick up some root hormone at your local garden center. Better yet, Make Your Own out of Willow Bark! Dab your cuttings in it and stick them in a pot filled with a light and loose compost and organic soil mix.

I add about 1/4 peat to it. They seem to enjoy a slightly acid soil which the peat provides. They need to be kept moist to root, but not soggy. Don't let them dry out completely. They will grow roots and be ready to put in the garden or decorative pot for next spring.

Mother Rosemary in my herb garden

Happy Gardening!!
Pammy