Rosmarinus officinalis Sissinghurst Blue

Rosmarinus officinalis has been cultivated in the Uk for over 400 years. Originally introduced from Asia minor it is highly prized as an ornamental plant and as a culinary herb. The beautiful blue flowers are borne in profusion from mid spring to early summer (often all year in hot climates) while the highly aromatic foliage is best kept regularly clipped to ensure a plentiful supply of new young growth. It also helps to keep the plant in good shape as Rosemarinus resent harsh pruning espeically in cold wet weather when such drastic pruning is likely to result in the loss of the plant! Sissinghurst Blue is a RHS award winning variety that was discovered in a batch of seedlings at Sissinghurst Castle around 1958. It is an upright variety with narrow green leaves and rich blue flowers. It can additionally be used to make a fine hedge as long as it is trimmed regularly! Romarinus is very adaptable and can be used in a mixed planting as an excellent quality hedge as a stand alone specimen in the garden or can easily be grown in a pot. It is however at its best against a wall where it will grow bigger than any other location. When growing in a pot or other container. Use a good quality John Innes compost as this plant will be there a long time and peaty types of compost eventually degrade and become too packed and choke the roots. Ensure you feed regularly as a hungry plant is a poor performer. We recommend Osmoscote pro 8-9 month applied in the early spring. One application gives all the nutrients the plant requires for the whole year. John Innes is a soils based compost