The creeping rosemary, terra cotta potted on our south facing deck, has been clamoring quietly to have the place of honor as this month's beach plant. I can hardly remember when this plant hasn't been in bloom. It must have taken a rest somewhere along the way, because they say it blooms early in the spring and again in the fall. The dark shiny evergreen, needle-like leaves, undercoated with grayish white, are thickly spangled with delicate blue flowers. Though it is far more subtle than the heralding cheerfulness of the daffodils, this small soft periwinkle presence never fails to please me. That's blue for you.

      Wind, salt, even deer - not a problem! Rosemarinus officinalis is on every list of coastworthy plants you'll ever see. It looks good all year - smells good. It makes chicken, lamb, red potatoes, tomatoes and other good things taste even better - loves olive oil and garlic. Have you ever had fresh rosemary olive bread? You just don't ever recover from an experience like that. Lavender and rosemary soap is in a similar category.

     Rosemary belongs to the family Lamiaceae, so just be glad there's an easier way of saying that. Just say that it's "in the same family as" lavender, thyme, and sage. The whole family has two vital needs - excellent drainage and sunshine. Think about the Mediterranean setting and climate in which all these plants flourish. That's a very pleasant thought, isn't it? The fast-draining rocky soil of the coastal cliffs is perfect for these tough plants. The sun's heat develops the flavor and fragrance of the essential oils that make the family Lamiaceae a compendium of culinary herbs, remedies, and perfumes. Rosemary is quite adaptable when we thoughtfully provide some reminders of its homeland.

     Plant in full sun, perhaps where rocks or a wall can reflect and hold some extra heat. Lighten heavy clay soils with compost and coarse washed sand (builders sand) or fine gravel. Add a handful of lime if your soil is acid, as it is here. Mulching with gravel will keep leaves and branches from sitting in water. Water infrequently to moderately, depending on your site. Fertilize very lightly. Think LEAN. Pinch or prune lightly and frequently in order to encourage new growth to break from the center of the plant. Always make your pruning cut into the stem above the point where leaves are breaking through. Don't cut below that new growth or that stem will die. In time a plant may develop an unbecoming bald center. At that point you can replace it with a fresh plant and keep honing your pruning skills. These guidelines also apply to others of the Lamiaceae clan that develop woody stems.

     In a terra cotta pot rosemary is wonderful, even a special one you want to show off, as it won't compete but just complement perfectly. Don't make the pot too big; otherwise the plant won't be able to soak up the water in the soil fast enough and will sit in dampness. Provide a quick draining gravel base at the bottom of the container. As the plant outgrows its container it's better to move it into a pot just one size wider (2-3") for the same reason. It tolerates drought admirably for those of us who have trouble with schedules.

     Creeping rosemary was born to spill down stones and rocks, but any wall or slope will do. There are several creeping forms. We've used 'Prostratus' and 'Huntington Blue' very satisfactorily in pots, spilling down slopes, and in rockeries. They stay very low, 1-2 feet, spreading 2-4 feet. I'd like to try 'Severn Sea' which has profuse sky blue flowers and is especially hardy (for those rare cold snaps). There are many upright forms as well ranging from 3 to 7 feet or more. We have used 'Arp' very close to the ocean and it looks very healthy. I'm thinking of encircling my roses with a hedge of 'Blue Spires', described as a superb landscape variety, a strong vertical grower 6 feet tall and at least as wide, and making a tight sheared hedge. We liked 'Blue Boy' a very compact form that had a nice fragrance and flavor, not too piney and sharp like some. Read the labels for size, tenderness and habit, scratch and sniff, think about your site - a lot may depend on what's available when you decide you've got to have some rosemary right away. Rosemary is a natural companion to its Lamiaceae family members. We mentioned lavenders, thymes, and salvias (sages) already, but there are more - Russian sage, nepetas, oreganos, lamb's ears - altogether wonderful, versatile plants having many interesting forms and variations. Most of them blend beautifully with ornamental grasses, especially blue fescue, blue oat grass, and pennisetum. Rosemary and its kin are also at home with argyranthemums, better known by a prettier name - marguerite daisies. ALL of these are not only excellent beach plants they are all actually DEER PROOF as well. That's because deer like resinous or "cottony" leaves as much as I like big, old lima beans. Actually deer don't care for herbs in general, so you could start a deer proof garden with this exciting group of plants.

     In April, due to popular demand, we'll talk more about the DEER PROOF GARDEN. We'd enjoy hearing from you! If you haven't got your copy of Sunset's 2002 Western Garden Book it's at Costco at a much better price than it was at the bookstore when you just couldn't wait.

Visit Past Beach Plants
January - New Zealand Flax, Phormium tenax
February - Pieris japonica (Japanese pieris)