Types of rosemary: trailing, creeping, upright & hardy rosemary varieties
Rosemary is generally thought of as the simple culinary herb. What most people do not realise is that there are many surprisingly diverse cultivated varieties of this Mediterranean native.
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a wonderfully aromatic herb in the plant family Lamiaceae. This is the same family that the other typical Mediterranean herbs, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and sage (Salvia officinalis), belong to. There are many types of rosemary available on the market, from upright to trailing growth forms, floral displays in blues, pinks, whites, or purples, as well as some that are more aromatic than others. Read on to find out the most popular varieties so that you can choose the right one for your garden.
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Upright-growing types of rosemary
When most people think of rosemary, they think of the classic upright-growth form. These small shrubs can reach up to 1.5m. Here are some of the best upright rosemary varieties:
- Salvia rosmarinus: the traditional common variety of rosemary found in garden centres can grow vigorously up to 1.2 m tall with dense green foliage, light blue flowers, and a strong aroma.
- ‘Albiflorus’: rosemary cultivar growing up to 1m in height and width. It shows beautiful white flowers and short dark green foliage.
- ‘Blue Tuscan’: with its vividly blue flowers and large, tender foliage, and reaching a height up to 1.5m, this variety makes a wonderful specimen in the garden. It is also excellent for using in the kitchen.
- ‘Gorizia’: growing up to 1.5m tall, it makes an excellent shrub in your garden. It has very pale violet-blue flowers and dark green foliage.
- ‘Heavenly Blue’: as a very compact grower, only reaching up to 0.5m tall, this variety is perfect for borders in your garden or for growing in a pot. It has pale blue flowers and lovely green foliage.
- ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’: with light blue flowers and a strong aroma, ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’ rosemary is a delight in the garden. It can grow very tall and sturdy into a well-shaped shrub with dense foliage.
- ‘Rex’: a very robust variety that can grow up to 1.2m tall. It has dark blue flowers set on dark green foliage.
- ‘Roseus’: this upright rosemary produces lovely pink coloured flowers that contrast nicely with its green foliage. It can grow into a small shrub up to 1m tall. It has wonderfully aromatic foliage for using in the kitchen.
- ‘Salem’: the variety makes an excellent hedge and can grow up to 1.2m tall. It has dark green foliage with pale but striking blue flowers. This variety needs protection from hard freezes as it is only moderately winter hardy.
- ‘Spice Island’: possibly the most aromatic rosemary, ‘Spice Island’ is sure to please. It has silver green foliage and grows up to 1m tall.
Tip: learn how to preserve your rosemary after harvesting it in our detailed article on storing, freezing & drying rosemary.
Trailing and creeping rosemary varieties
Prostrate rosemary types can grow in small mounds along the ground and even trail over the edge of a wall or pot. These make lovely border plants in flower beds or beautiful cascades of flowers trailing over the edge of a retaining wall. The following are some of the best creeping and trailing rosemary varieties:
- ‘Blue Rain’: this variety is a wonderful trailing rosemary, great for growing at the edge of a wall, or even in a hanging basket, as it produces many downward trailing branches. It has grey-green foliage with medium-blue flowers.
- ‘Boule’: a lovely mounding and trailing rosemary with lilac-blue flowers and bright green foliage. It is considered semi-prostrate as mounds can reach 0.6m tall. This is a robust variety that is relatively cold hardy for a Mediterranean herb.
- ‘Capri’: as a very short creeping rosemary, ‘Capri’ makes an excellent groundcover. It has bright green foliage and small pale blue flowers.
- ‘Majorca Pink’: reaching only just over 0.5m tall, this variety is a very compact grower. It is considered a semi-prostrate variety, as it can also slightly cascade over the edge of a wall or pot. It has pink flowers and verdant green foliage. It is only moderately winter hardy, so it needs to be grown in a protected location for areas with hard freezes in winter.
- ‘McConnell’s Blue’: as a low-growing creeping rosemary, ‘McConnell’s Blue’ makes an excellent groundcover. It has light green foliage with an abundance of pale blue flowers.
- ‘Santa Barbara’: this mounding creeping rosemary tops out at 0.3m tall but can easily spread outwards 3 times its height. It has pale blue flowers and is reasonably cold hardy.
Tip: for everything you need to know about propagating your own rosemary, look no further than our detailed article on propagating rosemary, with tips on cuttings, layering & seeds.
Hardy types of rosemary
Hardy rosemary varieties can tolerate hard frosts and colder temperatures. Some can tolerate temperatures as low as -20 °C. Here are a few popular cold-hardy rosemary varieties:
- ‘Alcalde’: is a cold-hardy rosemary that grows upright and up to 1m tall. It has pale blue flowers and olive-green foliage.
- ‘Arp’: this hardy upright rosemary can grow up to 1.2m tall. While it is hardy in cold temperatures, make sure you plant it in well-drained soil. As with all rosemary varieties, it will not tolerate waterlogging. It has grey-green foliage with light blue flowers.
- ‘Athens Blue Spires’: a very tall upright variety that is also very cold-hardy. It can grow up to 1.5m tall and has sky-blue flowers with grey-green foliage.
- ‘Barbeque’: as a hardy, upright rosemary, ‘Barbeque’ makes for a chunky shrub up to 1m tall. Its wonderfully aromatic bright green foliage is great for cooking.
- Blue Lagoon’: this variety is known for its bright blue flowers. ‘Blue Lagoon’ rosemary is quite cold-hardy and can grow up to 1.2m tall.
- ‘Blue Winter’: is one of the most cold-hardy rosemary varieties. Its upright growth habit forms shrubs up to 1m tall with blue-green foliage and light blue flowers.
- ‘Hill Hardy’: growing up to 1.2m tall, this hardy variety has light blue flowers and grey-green foliage.
Now that you have seen how diverse rosemary is, do you want to learn more about caring for rosemary? Then find out all you need to know in our in-depth article on rosemary plant care.
