The Rosemary Thread

[Hartinez]

Thank you. Rethinking stand.

I know a guy…

 

[Carol 83]

Believe it or not, I'm still trying to get my house back together from Hurricane Michael in October of 2018...

I believe it, but so sorry to hear.

 

[ABCarve]

So how's this? I use these to display my sculptures. It's supposed to be about the tree......right?

 

[TinyArt]

So how's this? I use these to display my sculptures. It's supposed to be about the tree......right?

Oooooh yeah... Frame that picture & put it on the wall. GORGEOUS!

 

[John P.]

Very nice. What’s the groundcover?

 

[pweifan]

Very nice. What’s the groundcover?

Looks like Black Mondo Grass.

 

[ABCarve]

 

[Hartinez]

Oh hey! Didn’t know this tree was going to be in the national show! That’s bad ass.

 

[AlainK]

That’s bad ass.

An expression that I learned from this forum.

And yeah, that's bad ass !

 

[DylanS]

Hello all
I've threatens to do this and I'm now following thru. There doesn't seem to be a lot of horticultural info here on growing rosemary as bonsai. I'd like to change that with this thread. I don't pretend to know much about their horticulture but I've kept a few for over twenty years. Most people think their touchy......maybe...I've only noticed that with major root reduction. You may have seen this one on other threads but here we go.
1. - full flower this fall mid-october.
2. - today...flowers going to seed.
3. - after pruning today removing seed heads and cutting back. The plant is allowed to grow out until next November as you see in pic 1. The only pruning done while growing is the occasional pinch for cooking.

This plant was never wired (although I have wired another extensively), only clip and grow, approx 21 years old. Started from a cutting and only slip potted into bigger pots. It has been repotted twice in its current container every 3 years. Repotting consisted of teasing out root mass, reducing feeder roots 1"(pot is 9"dia.), replacing soil, large roots are not reduced. I'm not really satisfied with it current pot.

I hope other growers will chime in with their experience and/or questions. I'll keep posting my other rosemary as we go.

First post. Ive read the whole thread and want to confirm a few things I've gathered and seek advice. New to bonsai. So my wife had one planted in the garden (in NW PA) that needed to be potted or wouldn't make it this winter. I planted it in a bonsai pot and bonsai soil probably 2 months ago. It took very well and almost doubled its height! Eventually I'd like to have just 1 shoot be the tree. I am thinking this winter it should be housed in the attached porch we have on our house? Gets pretty chilly but I believe above freezing. Potentially trim the unwanted shoots later in the spring?

 

[Iowa newbie]

First post. Ive read the whole thread and want to confirm a few things I've gathered and seek advice. New to bonsai. So my wife had one planted in the garden (in NW PA) that needed to be potted or wouldn't make it this winter. I planted it in a bonsai pot and bonsai soil probably 2 months ago. It took very well and almost doubled its height! Eventually I'd like to have just 1 shoot be the tree. I am thinking this winter it should be housed in the attached porch we have on our house? Gets pretty chilly but I believe above freezing. Potentially trim the unwanted shoots later in the spring?

I would avoid letting it freeze if at all possible, I've kept mine indoors and while it doesnt grow much even with a decent window with good morning exposure. My tree is going into its 2nd winter and is a little larger, I bring it indoors with a good needle mass to help keep it alive throughout the dry conditions indoors during a midwest winter.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

I feel they just do not like their roots to be touched.

Totally right, they hate root pruning and repoting, usually they die if they are not very strong and you cut too much roots

 

[ABCarve]

Don’t let it freeze…….this year.

 

[Hartinez]

Picked one up today and cut it back. Left the roots be only exposing the nebari. It’s def not the upright variety as it was very droopy at purchase. Wish I had gotten a before pic. Hey @ABCarve and @Bonsai Nut what do you guys think? Did I go a tad hard on the cut back? Time will tell I suppose. If the tree does well through this season and winter I’ll repot next year.

I do plan on heading back to the same nursery as there were several more of the same caliber and bigger. I liked the movement of this one though. $20 at today’s prices is a steal if you ask me.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Wow, these are awesome. I never even thought about this species for bonsai. Need to go take a closer look at the rosemary growing in my garden. I guess you can say I'm ground growing something.

 

[BeepBeepBonsaiSheep]

I’ll have to take pics tomorrow of the 4 I got. Bought them beginning of the season, but love how old they look starting off

 

[ABCarve]

Picked one up today and cut it back. Left the roots be only exposing the nebari. It’s def not the upright variety as it was very droopy at purchase. Wish I had gotten a before pic. Hey @ABCarve and @Bonsai Nut what do you guys think? Did I go a tad hard on the cut back? Time will tell I suppose. If the tree does well through this season and winter I’ll repot next year.

I do plan on heading back to the same nursery as there were several more of the same caliber and bigger. I liked the movement of this one though. $20 at today’s prices is a steal if you ask me. View attachment 448740

Looks good. You probably didn’t have to prune it so hard but it should be okay. It’s good it’s been container grown. Just remember about cutting big roots when repotting and wound healing is just about nonexistent.
I think if I were starting a new one I would work in reverse. Repot the tree into the bonsai pot, see which parts of the tree dies back (which is bound to happen) and then style the tree with the remaining, healthy foliage.
If you go back through this thread you’ll see that’s what’s happened to each of my trees. I just didn’t know it would happen. Maybe you can try this on another tree you plan to get.

 

[Vin]

Looks good. You probably didn’t have to prune it so hard but it should be okay. It’s good it’s been container grown. Just remember about cutting big roots when repotting and wound healing is just about nonexistent.
I think if I were starting a new one I would work in reverse. Repot the tree into the bonsai pot, see which parts of the tree dies back (which is bound to happen) and then style the tree with the remaining, healthy foliage.
If you go back through this thread you’ll see that’s what’s happened to each of my trees. I just didn’t know it would happen. Maybe you can try this on another tree you plan to get.

Great advise from someone with a great amount of rosemary experience. The other thing @Hartinez to remember is they typically do not backbud. I just transplanted another one of mine back into the ground because of it's decline once potted. You sir are respected for your ability to keep yours potted for so long.

 

[Hartinez]

Looks good. You probably didn’t have to prune it so hard but it should be okay. It’s good it’s been container grown. Just remember about cutting big roots when repotting and wound healing is just about nonexistent.
I think if I were starting a new one I would work in reverse. Repot the tree into the bonsai pot, see which parts of the tree dies back (which is bound to happen) and then style the tree with the remaining, healthy foliage.
If you go back through this thread you’ll see that’s what’s happened to each of my trees. I just didn’t know it would happen. Maybe you can try this on another tree you plan to get.

Thank you! I think I will do just that on a second.

hey @Vin . Great to see you post! Don’t feel like I see you much on here these days, but a welcome site for sure.

 

[Linn01]

Hi guys,

a fellow forum member RJG2 pointed me out that there was a thread dedicated to rosemary. I have this 15y old rosemary in my herb garden. It was originally 1.8m tall, but my wife chopped the shoots last week. It is now around 1.2m tall. I was wondering if it could make something out of it. I read in this thread that rosemary does not like root pruning. This old specimen probably would dislike being potted? My plan was to execute a severe trunk chop in winter, wait until it reacts/backbuds (or not), and then try a repot in spring 2024. Possible u think?