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Plant care

Rosemary care

Salvia rosmarinus

Also called common rosemary, garden rosemary.

RHS H4USDA 7-10Pet-safeIndoor 60-150 cm tall and wide

Watering rhythm

10-14days

When the top 3 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 10-14 days

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Light

Direct sun (at least 4-6 hours)

Soil

Gritty, free-draining alkaline soil

Humidity

30-50% (outdoor)

Temp

10-27°C

Pet safety

Pet-safe

Mature size

60-150 cm tall and wide

Care at a glance

Light

Most houseplants will scorch where rosemary thrives. Give it the windowsill you'd otherwise leave empty because everything else burned there. 6+ hours of direct sun. Shade weakens flavour and encourages mildew. A plant moved abruptly from low light to direct sun bleaches in 48 hours — always acclimatise over a week.

Watering

Aim for when the top 3 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 10-14 days for rosemary, but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Drought-tolerant once established. Overwatering, especially in winter, is the most common cause of death.

Soil and pot

Rosemary grows best in gritty, free-draining alkaline soil. pH 6.5-7.5. Mediterranean herb mix or standard compost with 30% grit. Raised beds suit it. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Rosemary sits happiest at around 30-50% (outdoor) humidity and 10-27°C (50-80°F). Prefers dry air; humid summers encourage mildew. If you keep the room above 10 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed rosemary sparingly. Very light feeder — a quarter-strength balanced feed once or twice a season is plenty. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on rosemary in the Growli community. Where a problem matches one of our diagnostic guides, click through for the full step-by-step recovery plan written for rosemary specifically.

  • Browning from the inside — Winter wet — rosemary rots in cold soggy soil.
  • Powdery mildew — Stagnant humid air; improve ventilation and thin growth.
  • Yellow tips — Iron deficiency in alkaline pots or under-watering after a long drought.
  • Woody bare base — Natural ageing; replace plants every 5-7 years.

Companion plants

Rosemary pairs well with Sage, Thyme, Lavender, and Cabbage. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can grow them in the same bed or container without conflict.

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, kept under a humidity dome, root in 4-6 weeks. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Rosemary is pet-safe. Rosemary is listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Very large amounts can cause GI upset. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Rosemary care — frequently asked questions

What is Rosemary?

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a culinary herb with a woody evergreen subshrub growth habit, reaching 60-150 cm tall and wide at maturity. Rosemary is a Mediterranean evergreen shrub with needle-like aromatic leaves used widely in cooking. It loves sun and free-draining soil and dislikes wet feet, especially in winter.

How much light does rosemary need?

Rosemary grows best in direct sun (at least 4-6 hours). 6+ hours of direct sun. Shade weakens flavour and encourages mildew.

How often should I water rosemary?

Water rosemary when the top 3 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 10-14 days. Drought-tolerant once established. Overwatering, especially in winter, is the most common cause of death. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is rosemary toxic to cats and dogs?

Rosemary is pet-safe. Rosemary is listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Very large amounts can cause GI upset.

What USDA hardiness zone does rosemary grow in?

Rosemary is rated for USDA zone 7-10 and RHS hardiness H4. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Rosemary deep-dive guides

Every aspect of rosemary care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Rosemary qualifies for 2 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Rosemary is also commonly called common rosemary or garden rosemary.