Rosemary is a real plant from the Mediterranean coast: hungry for the sun and absolutely in need of warmth. Most rosemary varieties are very sensitive to frost, there are only a few hardy rosemary. Therefore, rosemary should only stay outside in mild winters and otherwise ideally overwinter in a pot in cold house conditions.
Overwinter rosemary outside
Outdoors, only hardy varieties such as Veitshöchheim rosemary, "Arp" or "Blue Winter" should overwinter, as well as older plants from the third year. Only these are so well anchored in the ground by their roots and robust enough to withstand lower temperatures with the appropriate protection. You can protect the plants from frost as follows:
- Cover the soil in the root area and the plant itself with fir or spruce branches.
- Make sure that you are covered tightly, but at the same time ensure that there is sufficient air circulation.
- The bottom area can also be covered with leaves as the bottom layer.
- Plant the rosemary in a sunny and sheltered location, if possible facing south.
- A spot on a heat-emitting house wall is ideal.
- Instead of brushwood, you can also cover the plant with insulating mats.
- However, these should be permeable to air and light so that no waterlogging can form.
- In addition, rosemary is evergreen and needs sun even in winter.
Overwinter the rosemary in the pot
Pot rosemary overwinters best under cold house conditions at temperatures between 4 and 12 °C in a bright spot in the house. A bright stairwell, a place in a garden or greenhouse, in the basement or in a (slightly) heated bedroom are ideal for this. You should water the plant occasionally, but not fertilize it. In a sheltered place and if it's a mild winter, the pot can also be left outside - wrapped in protective foil and covered with brushwood.
tips and tricks
Rosemary that overwinters outdoors should not be pruned. It is therefore advisable to harvest and preserve plenty of fresh rosemary in summer.
IJA