Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus'

Rosemary ‘Prostratus’ is a low growing, groundcover 20 - 30cm high and 120cm to 2 meters wide. It has white stemmed branches that twist and curl creating dense foliage coverage over the ground. The leaves are lanceolate shaped, glossy and dark green. Their fragrance is of pine, camphor and eucalyptus and is similar to many of the upright rosemary varieties. The flowers are sky blue and cover the whole plant for much of the year. When conditions are dry there are more flowers.

Low growing rosemary varieties are often called ‘Prostrate’ or ‘Prostratus’ as a descriptive term, simply because of their trailing or creeping habit. This can create confusion because several named varieties do have a prostrate or semi-prostrate growth habit. In this case ‘Prostratus’ is the given variety name and refers to a specific plant, rather than the growth pattern. There may also be reference to this rosemary as a separate species. However the correct botanical designation is Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’. It may sometimes be seen as R. repens or R. lavandulaceus or Lockwood de Forest, which is a separate variety that also has a prostrate growth habit.

Rosemary ‘Prostratus’ is an excellent choice for growing over embankments or weeping down over walls. It will tolerate poor, dry soils, windy and coastal conditions as long as it has well drained soil and preferably full sun. As well as being highly ornamental, this rosemary is also suited to culinary use.