Rosemary Topiary Care
How to Care for and Trim Topiary Shape Rosemary (Rosmarinus) Plant in a Pot
Enjoy a fragrant, evergreen rosemary topiary as a holiday decoration and then keep it growing in the container as a houseplant or potted patio plant.
During the past week, those elegant, formally shaped, fragrant rosemary topiaries (Rosmarinus officinalis) have shown up for sale in my town. I saw some at the grocery store and some at the local big box store and I nearly brought one home. I love the formal shapes of these neatly trimmed evergreen topiaries: the round globe or lollipop (or ball on a stick), a perfectly round wreath trained and tied to a metal frame and decorated with a red bow, a geometric pyramid, sometimes two balls on a stick. The rosemaries are especially tempting because of their fragrance; the scent of rosemary lingers on your fingers after you touch the plant and it releases its scent if you brush lightly against it.
Indoors, rosemary does best in a relatively cool location (55 degrees is a good goal) with bright direct light and good air circulation. The more light your plant receives, the more dense it will stay. In low light it will grow thin and sparse. During the winter, the heated indoor air tends to be very dry, so you may have to add humidity for it by using a pebble and water tray or grouping it with other plants. Do not over water your topiary. Let the soil surface and top inch or so of soil dry between waterings (the top half inch for a small pot.) After watering, empty the drainage saucer so it does not sit in water. If your rosemary topiary needs repotting, wait until spring to do that. Hold off on fertilizing until spring, too. Plan on setting your rosemary outside during the summer.
A rosemary topiary requires frequent trimming to keep the shape sharp and neat -- how often depends on how well it is growing and how much light it receives. Pruning is easy to do, just give it a quick allover haircut whenever you notice it getting a little shaggy. Step back often to check your work, otherwise it can come out a little lopsided. If this happens, don't worry, it will grow back and eventually you can correct it.
The more often you prune, the thicker it will grow, so prune often. If it becomes badly overgrown you may have trouble getting it to look nice and dense again and the branches may become so thick that the pruning process results in ugly, woody stubs. (Rosemary is actually a shrub.) If you have a lollipop, use your fingers to rub off any new growth that tries to develop along the bare stem.
Rosemary has tiny flowers, but if you trim as often as you should you probably will never see any on your plant.
If you are certain that no pesticides (including systemics) have been used on the plant, you can use the rosemary trimmings as garnish or to season food.
