Creeping rosemary is a charming evergreen herb with a sprawling growth habit. Slender stems trail along the ground, forming a dense mat with aromatic, needle-like leaves. The foliage is a luscious dark green, creating an attractive contrast as it cascades down retaining walls or concrete containers.

I’ve tried to grow rosemary in the past and failed miserably. I hope these will take hold in the sandy, rocky, and mostly sunny space along our extra parking space across from the veggie garden. I think this is the same variety that flourished on a retaining wall at my sister-in-law’s former house up in a part sun Zone 7 environment, so I have high hopes!

Update 2023

Sadly, several died this spring after a long stretch of unusual freezing temperatures. The ones that survived took a beating and have somewhat recovered. However, they are plagued with whiteflies, probably because they are stressed due to cold and lack of sun.

As an alternative, I planted a few propagated Formosan Carpet Raspberry plants, which generally have the same growth habit as Creeping Rosemary. Formosan Carpet is also evergreen but much more hardy and adaptable to different planting conditions.

I suppose we don’t have the microclimate to support rosemary. But that won’t stop me from trying a hardier variety if I come across one!