Rosemary is an aromatic plant that can really bolster the appearance of your garden, but if it’s not properly maintained, it can become a bit worse for wear. Gardening expert and TikTok creator Ish explained that there’s one very easy yet important task you should be doing in October to help it from becoming leggy.
In a recent video, Ish said: “Now if yours is like my rosemary, yours has done really, really well in the summer months. You may find it’s starting to look a little bit straggly and a little out of control.”
How to stop rosemary becoming leggy
The reason rosemary can become leggy, woody and bare at the base, which can happen very quickly, is if it’s left unpruned, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said. The RHS also explained that rosemary “doesn’t generally” recover well from heavy pruning.
It advised to replace old straggly plants once they’re past their best. To help keep your rosemary in check, Ish recommended giving the plants a last minute prune in autumn before it gets too cold.
However, you have to make sure you’re giving the rosemary a snip in the correct place to ensure that you don’t cut away too much or too little, and risk it getting out of control again.
Ish said this will make a “massive difference” to the appearance of the plant. It’s all about the stem and knowing where the best place to cut is.
Ish explained: “Rosemary has soft wood and hard wood, and looking at the difference, it’s clear to see. You’ll see green on the stem here on the soft wood, and brown here on the hard wood.
“The idea, when you’re tidying up, especially in the autumn months, is to only cut away some of the soft wood, because it takes a few weeks to harden off. So we want to protect this from frost.”
He advised to avoid cutting too deep on the stem, as it will have the opposite effect of what you’re after. Ish explained that pruning isn’t just good for the rosemary’s health, but also can help spruce up its appearance, too. Giving the rosemary a small snip will encourage the plant to grow sideshoots, ultimately appearing bushier later on.
You can also prune the rosemary again when it comes to the spring time, with Ish saying that you can trim off almost a third of the plant, which will encourage more growth. When pruning in autumn, it’s all about keeping the rosemary tidy to prepare for the winter.