How To Grow A Rosemary Hedge (& 10 Reasons Why You Should)

Plants that are used for hedges have many benefits including creating privacy, delineating an area, and developing structural interest in the garden.

Imagine a hedge that not only achieves those goals but is also edible, medicinal, feeds and homes beneficial wildlife, all while being fragrant and gorgeous.

A rosemary hedge can achieve all the above and much more!

10 Reasons To Plant A Rosemary Hedge

1. Create Privacy with a Rosemary Hedge

Upright growing varieties of rosemary make excellent hedges. Most of them will grow up to 4 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide.

The tallest and one of the most dramatic rosemary varieties is ‘Tuscan Blue’ may grow over 7 feet tall. It also produces striking dark blue blossoms.

2. Delineate Garden Sections with a Rosemary Hedge

Rosemary handles shaping and pruning well. This makes it welcome in the formal garden.

As it attracts beneficial insects while repelling pests such as cabbage moths, mosquitoes, and flies, it is incredibly useful.

Surround the vegetable patch, edge a walkway, or grow a fragrant border around a patio.

3. Use a Rosemary Hedge as a Fragrant Windbreak

Rosemary’s tough woody branches can take the wind. Its’ refreshing scent filters the air at the same time!

4. Rosemary In Blossom – Bring on the Bees & Butterflies

Rosemary blooms prolifically at the leaf axils on last year’s wood. Abundant tiny flowers arrive in shades of white, rose, purple, and blue, depending on the cultivar.

A Mediterranean herb of the mint family, rosemary is favored by many bees and butterflies.

5. Beautiful in Drought, Wind, and Sun

Rosemary is strong and beautiful. Once established, this tough plant requires little additional water. Learn more about growing rosemary and other plants for drought tolerance.

In general, rosemary is hardy in zones 8 to 10, although cultivars, ‘Arp’ and ‘Blue Spires’, boast hardiness as low as zone

6. Heavenly Scented

Aromatherapy has been around for centuries, if not millennia. Rosemary is among the top essential oils used for its powerful aromatherapy benefits.

Historically, in the Victorian Language of Flowers, rosemary symbolizes remembrance. In fact, studies show that inhaling the fragrance of rosemary aids memory, brain health, and cognitive function.

Another wonderfully scented herbal hedge option, and great companion plant to rosemary, is lavender.

7. Rosemary, Break Out of the Ordinary

The culinary uses for rosemary are vast. Possibly, the most familiar is for flavoring poultry dishes and stuffing. Rosemary imparts its lively pungent aroma into many popular meat dishes as well.

The lovely refreshing spicy herb is also amazing with grilled, roasted, and stewed vegetables, soups, cheeses, oils, vinegars, dressings, and condiments. It is also wonderfully tasty used to infuse cooked grains and pilafs.

8. Food for Thought

Rosemary’s yummy zest is not only easy to add to many dishes, but it also has many healthful attributes.

Rosemary tea, for example, packs a healthful punch as it may aid indigestion, reduce blood sugar, and protect brain cells.

Tonics and teas, as well as using rosemary to add flavor to meals provides a powerful combination of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity as well. These are attributes found in rosemary leaves, stems, and flowers.

Rosemary tea with lemon or orange – A powerful pick-me-up known to increase mental focus.

Boil 1 ½ cup of water, add 1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary, with a wedge of lemon or orange. Try a cup before a challenging task.

9. Rosemary Is an Herbalist’s Dream

Essential oils, Extracts, and Tinctures, oh my! Think of the incredible herbal home remedies you’ll have to explore after pruning and shaping your gorgeous rosemary hedge!

Rosemary produces substances which are beneficial. Some of these benefits are anti-microbial, stimulating, aromatic, and astringent activity.

In fact, rosemary is one of the ingredients in the famous thieves’ oil which supposedly protected grave robbers during the black plague in medieval times. Due to its antibacterial and antimicrobial activity, it is a wonderful addition to homemade cleaning solutions.

10. Rosemary’s Durable Branches Make Wonderful Crafts

From fragrant wreaths to pretty bottles of infused oils, rosemary is a crafter’s delight. The abundant woody stems are also long lasting.