Hardy, fragrant and low-maintenance, rosemary is a favourite in gardens and on sunny windowsills, ready to add flavour to roast potatoes. Many regard it as one of the easiest herbs to grow, but it still needs a bit of TLC.
Why Pruning Matters
"Rosemary, if left unkempt, can become woody and leggy and not as healthy-looking as it did before. However, a simple prune in the right places and it'll thrive and bush out," said green-fingered expert Ish, known on Instagram as gardening.with.ish. Timing is key as new growth triggered by pruning won't survive a dip in temperature, which can stress or kill the whole plant. Late spring or early summer is the ideal time to shape rosemary, after it finishes its first flowering cycle – and that's anytime in the next few weeks, depending on where you live.
Understanding Rosemary Growth
Overgrown rosemary can result in branches splaying out, leaving a hollow centre without any greenery. The trick to encouraging a compact dense bush is knowing how much and which parts of the stems to cut back. Older stems consist of both softwood and hardwood, which have a different colour and texture. "Your softwood cuttings are more green and a little bit more pliable, and your hardwood is brown and a little bit more solid," said Ish in his Instagram reel. The aim is to trim just above the point where the green growth finishes and the woody stems start, ensuring you retain some green growth on each stem.
How to Prune
You can remove as much of the softwood growth as you like and it will recover, but you should avoid trimming hardwood. As with lavender, rosemary rarely regrows from old wood and if you cut too low the branch is likely to stay a stump forever. However, if an older bush has become rather wild, cut right above the needles of healthier woodier stems and they should still have some life in them.
To Encourage Bushiness
Snip off the top 5cm of soft, green tips. This forces the plant to branch out sideways rather than just growing up.
To Control Size
Identify the longest stems and cut them back to a side branch, ensuring you stay within the green growth.
Rejuvenation
For an older plant, remove dead, damaged or diseased branches right at the base to improve airflow.
Extra Care Tips
Rosemary hates wet feet, so raise container-grown plants on bricks to ensure drainage holes don't get blocked or sit in a puddle. In the ground, plant on a slight mound or in a raised bed to help water run away from the roots.
Recommended Pruning Tools
For comfortable pruning, consider the Burgon & Ball Kneelo at £18.99 from New Gardener UK on eBay, a portable oval kneeling pad in bright colours. The Gonicc 8-inch Bypass Pruning Shears, down to £8.46 on Amazon, have earned five stars from 40,000 shoppers with their ergonomic design and sap groove. For gardeners with weak hands or arthritis, the Votrek Bypass Secateurs at £19.97 on Amazon feature a ratchet mechanism and adjustable jaws.
