ROSEMARY

Given good drainage, plenty of sunshine and regular picking to keep it bushy, rosemary will live for years. It can be a large, sprawling bush or a neat, upright shrub such as the Miss Jessup’s variety, which is very good for a small space.

I have seen rosemary grown as a beautifully compact espalier against a wall and you can get a prostrate version that creeps sideways and is ideal for growing down over a wall or raised bed. The flowers, which bees love, are a beautiful blue and are borne very early in spring, so the best time to cut it back hard is after flowering in late spring.