What's going on in your garden (2018-2022)?

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epicuric said:
I wonder if there are different varieties of rosemary? We have huge rosemary bushes that have thrived on years of bad (in UK terms) winters. Our sage bushes take a bit of a hit but recover in springtime. Thyme really suffers in the cold.
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I don't know - I too have an ancient rosemary plant which is almost a tree. Last summer I planted some rosemary (a little plant) in my friend's back yard. Its quite different from my rosemary - very soft and you can eat the stalks. Mine is very woody and you certainly can't eat the stems. I think it may just be that the one I planted for my friend is a baby plant. As such, I suppose it could be more vulnerable to cold.
 
morning glory said:
I don't know - I too have an ancient rosemary plant which is almost a tree. Last summer I planted some rosemary (a little plant) in my friend's back yard. Its quite different from my rosemary - very soft and you can eat the stalks. Mine is very woody and you certainly can't eat the stems. I think it may just be that the one I planted for my friend is a baby plant. As such, I suppose it could be more vulnerable to cold.
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35143

This one was planted about seven years old, but was taken from a much bigger plant that had been formed into a hedge. The sage next to it is suffering already and we have only had one mild frost so far.
 
epicuric said:
I wonder if there are different varieties of rosemary? We have huge rosemary bushes that have thrived on years of bad (in UK terms) winters. Our sage bushes take a bit of a hit but recover in springtime. Thyme really suffers in the cold.
Click to expand...
I don't know, but I'm just going to leave them be and see what happens in the Spring.

I've watched episodes of Jacques Pepin's show, and at his house in Connecticut, he's got huge rosemary bushes in his garden, and it gets damn cold there in the winter, so I don't know.
 
Yes you can get different varieties of rosemary, just like any other plant. I'm growing 2 different varieties (actually 2 types, 1 variety of each) now at the moment in Australia. One is the usual bushy rosemary exactly like the above, upright in nature and fast growing. New growth is soft and the stems green and edible, no different to the variety i grew in the UK. But i also came across a totally different one that is much more intense in flavour, grows much flatter tho the ground and is much slower growing. The stems are much woodier add a result. It only grows about 12 inches tall but spreads. It's also very slow growing even here in Australia. It's a creeping type of rosemary and had a fantastic flavour far superior to the other upright one.

I'll photo both for you tomorrow and see which varieties in growing. Both should still have their respective labels around. Within those 2 types (upright and creeping) there are plenty of different varieties of rosemary.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Err, no, no rain. that's why we had the dust everywhere and the dust storm. Storms here in Aus (at least this part) are often very dry.

Within 5km of our old house and within the evacuation area there is a massive bushfire right now. Over 650 hectares already. The local 'lake' had no water so they can't use it for fire fighting. Major problem. Other local lakes are in a similar situation.
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Ok north of you then.

Russ
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Yes you can get different varieties of rosemary, just like any other plant. I'm growing 2 different varieties (actually 2 types, 1 variety of each) now at the moment in Australia. One is the usual bushy rosemary exactly like the above, upright in nature and fast growing. New growth is soft and the stems green and edible, no different to the variety i grew in the UK. But i also came across a totally different one that is much more intense in flavour, grows much flatter tho the ground and is much slower growing. The stems are much woodier add a result. It only grows about 12 inches tall but spreads. It's also very slow growing even here in Australia. It's a creeping type of rosemary and had a fantastic flavour far superior to the other upright one.

I'll photo both for you tomorrow and see which varieties in growing. Both should still have their respective labels around. Within those 2 types (upright and creeping) there are plenty of different varieties of rosemary.
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Right, creeping rosemary is quite hard to show in a photo though I had a wonderful time smelling it each time I brushed against it!

Creeping Rosemary

Creeping Rosemary

This is my creeping rosemary. It's behind wire because like most fragrant herbs, I've found chickens love rolling in it. It's compact, low to the ground and any branch on the ground roots easily.

Upright or bushy Rosemary

Upright or bushy Rosemary

This is my 3 treat old rosemary bush that had been moved from our previous home to here. It's struggling for water so often goes limp!

Bushy upright & Creeping Rosemary

Bushy upright & Creeping Rosemary

Plus that brown stuff to the left is what constitutes a lawn in a drought!
Starting in the foreground you have the creeping rosemary, then common thyme (also prone to going limp (!) and then the common upright rosemary. (Sorry about the state of the grass but around here the only time it is green is winter (but only if we get rain). The rest of the year, it's only purpose is to stop the dust (aka soil) from blowing away in storms (dry storms).

Both rosemary bushes were purchased the same year.
 
epicuric said:
I wonder if there are different varieties of rosemary? We have huge rosemary bushes that have thrived on years of bad (in UK terms) winters. Our sage bushes take a bit of a hit but recover in springtime. Thyme really suffers in the cold.
Click to expand...

I don't know if there are different strains of rosemary, but I do know that my plants have always been a little unpredictable. I've had them shrug off bad weather, and then die unexpectedly. No idea why. Same with thyme.

CD
 
morning glory said:
I don't know - I too have an ancient rosemary plant which is almost a tree. Last summer I planted some rosemary (a little plant) in my friend's back yard. Its quite different from my rosemary - very soft and you can eat the stalks. Mine is very woody and you certainly can't eat the stems. I think it may just be that the one I planted for my friend is a baby plant. As such, I suppose it could be more vulnerable to cold.
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The hotel I usually stay in when I do business in Las Vegas has rosemary hedges. I've never seen that before. They are bushy and groomed just like any other hedge. Las Vegas is in a desert.

Side note... I only go to Las Vegas when I have to for business, which is too often and sometimes for too long. It's a great place to visit, for a few days, once, IMO. My advice to people who have never been there, but want to go, is book a trip for three days. No more. That's enough.

I don't gamble. I throw my money away on cooking stuff and cars. :wink:

CD
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Within 5km of our old house and within the evacuation area there is a massive bushfire right now. Over 650 hectares already. The local 'lake' had no water so they can't use it for fire fighting. Major problem. Other local lakes are in a similar situation.
Click to expand...
That fire is now out of control again and had ignited another. The local town (there's nothing between hamlet and town in Australia and it's barely bigger than hamlet which is 4 or 5 houses that can see each other) the local town had been told to evacuate. The fire is now in excess of 1,125 hectares and still burning. All fire fighters can do is dig, dig barriers then deliberately set fire to the burn zone and hope they get out right because there's no water.
Our old home has 1 road in and one road out, the same one. 12km of dirt road, some privately owned. The town being evacuated was our cross country exit route in the event of a fire! The gravel road in being the usual direct fires came in. It was why we purchased a full on 4x4 for me because i was home all the time. Not good at all. Fingers crossed for our former neighbours. The wind is due to swing round tomorrow which may help one front but will put their homes in a direct line with the fire. ;(
 
This is the variety of rosemary I have. I think it's called Brown Rosemary. It doesn't spread at all. As a matter of fact, one would be easily fooled into thinking it's not growing at all!

It also has a bitter, dry crumbly taste, so much so that even the rabbits and deer give it a miss!


Brown Rosemary

Brown Rosemary

 
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