Tuscan Rosemary

The Essential Herb for Every Garden

The unmistakable sight and fragrance of Tuscan Rosemary evoke images of the sunny Mediterranean. Although the Mediterranean is a long journey from where you live, you'll only have to travel as far as your backyard to experience a glimpse of that faraway destination when you grow Tuscan Rosemary!

Reserve a spot in your garden for this outstanding plant, and you'll savor one of the sights of a Mediterranean vacation in your own little corner of the world.

A Rosemary with Improved Attributes
Whether you admire Tuscan Rosemary from a distance or up close, its aesthetic qualities are impossible to miss. Other than its distinctive fragrance, other outstanding qualities include:

• Grayish-green foliage. The word rosemary is loosely translated "dew of the sea" to describe how ocean mists glisten on this plant's foliage. Other garden plants sport different shades of green, but none is quite like the grayish-green foliage of Tuscan Rosemary. It shimmers in the landscape to enliven any sunny spot. And it's the fragrance of the foliage that is so distinctive instead of the scent of its flowers.

• Brilliant-blue flowers. The flower color mirrors the color of the clear-sea that borders this plant's namesake '– the Tuscany region in Italy. From late winter through spring, Tuscan Rosemary produces its showy flowers that are deeper in color and more profuse than other types of rosemary plants.

• Sturdy upright growth. Some varieties of rosemary tend to sprawl as they mature, but Tuscan Rosemary is an improved cultivar that was bred to maintain a strong upright growing habit.

NOTE: This product is specific to Arizona. Find Tuscan Rosemary available in other states.

Planting & Care

You won't have to be a horticulturist to grow Tuscan Rosemary. It requires minimal care, but its few needs are noteworthy and necessary to maintain its health:

• Full sun. It just won't perform well in the shade, and the more sun, the better.

• Sharp drainage. Planting on slopes, in raised beds, or in containers offers Tuscan Rosemary an optimal environment to stave off "wet feet" '– roots that stay in waterlogged soil. This is not a plant for moist soil or overwatering, which are two conditions that can cause its roots to rot.

• Loose soil. This is another key contributor to Tuscan Rosemary's health. It prospers in soil that is not compacted, such as loamy or sandy soils. It also has a high tolerance for poor soil, such as you find in rock gardens, as long as the soil is loose.

• Minimal fertilizer. Tuscan Rosemary has low fertilization needs. Apply a light application of fertilizer at the beginning of the active growing season or just after flowering, but don't get heavy-handed with the fertilizer. This is an example of "less is more."