Rosemary: The Herbal plant, Description, Planting & Growing tips, its Uses

                                        

                                         Rosemary

Rosemary is an aromatic evergreen shrub with leaves native to the Mediterranean and Asia, but is reasonably hardy in cool climates. It is used also in cooking. It can withstand droughts, surviving a severe lack of water for lengthy periods. The upright forms can reach 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, rarely 2 m (6 ft 7 in). The leaves are evergreen, 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) long and 2–5 mm broad, green above, and white below, with dense, short, woolly hair. The plant flowers in spring and summer in temperate climates, but the plants can be in constant bloom in warm climates, flowers are white, pink, purple or deep blue. Rosemary also has a tendency to flower outside its normal flowering season.

Botanical name: Rosmarinus officinalis

Family :Lamiaceae

Life cycle: Perennial

Plant height : 4 ft

Leaf Colour: Green

Flower Colour: Pink, purple,blue and white

Temperature: 15-20 °C

Light: Full sun/ half sun

Soil: Loamy, sandy

Climate : Tropical, subtropical

Advantage: Easy to growth

Planting & growing tips:

For planting rosemary, the best option is to start with a cutting. Rosemary seed can be difficult to germinate and often do not grow true to their parent. It's much faster to start with a cutting and be sure of what type of plant is it. It's possible to root rosemary in a glass of water, but a bit more effort will give more dependable results.

The three fundamentals for successfully growing rosemary are sun, good drainage, and good air circulation.
 It can grow into a lush, bushy shrub. To keep it happy, provide a sandy, well-draining soil and 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight.

Uses

• It is used in lamb, pork, chicken, and veal dishes, as well as in soups and stews, vegetables, and sauces. Rosemary provides a wonderful flavour to marinade with olive oil, wine, and garlic. 
• Rosemarys aromatic qualities also enhance a bath, bouquet, wreath, or sachet.
• Rosemary can easily fit as a decorative plant in flower bed or garden.
• Laboratory studies have shown rosemary to be rich in antioxidants, which play an important role in neutralizing harmful particles called free radicals. 
• Rosemary contains an ingredient, carnosic acid, that is able to fight off free radical damage in the brain. 
• Rosemary may significantly help prevent brain ageing. 
• Rosemary may be an effective herbal anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour agent.