Rosemary is a great plant to have around. It’s fragrant, it’s useful in all kinds of recipes, and it’s quite tough. It likes full sun and well-drained soil. It can only survive down to 20 degrees F. (-7 C.), so in cool climates, it’s best grown as a container plant. In mild climates, however, it makes a great shrub in outdoor beds, where it blooms spectacularly in the winter. One very good variety for colorful blooms is the Tuscan blue. Keep reading to learn more about growing Tuscan blue rosemary and how to care for Tuscan blue rosemary plants.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Rosemary has long been part of the edible garden for centuries. In ancient times, people believed that the rosemary plant strengthened the mind. Rosemary is rich as an aromatic oil and releases a fragrance when crushed.
It helped to mask body odor, and people used it to ward off evil spirits. The best part of all families used rosemary to season food, mainly to disguise the smell and taste of gamy meat.

Hence, the Tuscan Blue Rosemary, with its dainty spikes and scented blue flowers in early spring to summer, is a must-have in the garden.
The grayish-green foliage looks attractive, and you can use the fragrant needle-like evergreen foliage for an ornamental display. The rosemary plants grow in a natural rustic form to display in a herb garden to a flower garden.
Hence, it makes for an ideal foundation plant, container plant, or culinary herb displayed in outdoor pots or grown as a plant indoors. The evergreen grows with woody stems in an upright hedge form to spread while it grows.
The best part is that it is ideal for the inner city environments, and deer are not fond of it if you live near a forest. You can also grow them with other landscape plants for year-round interest in the garden.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight

The prevalent herb thrives in full sun and can handle some bright morning shade, but by midday, your woody herb will look its best with afternoon sun.
When growing plants like rosemary and the light levels are too low, they will not grow.
It thrives in warm temperatures and can handle the full sun in the USDA zone with the hottest temperatures.
Temperature and Humidity
No other landscape plants are as versatile as rosemary regarding these two points. Still, your Tuscan Blue Rosemary needs a lot of air circulation. The fact is that rosemary grows equally well in different USDA zones.
The main concern is that these plants can get mildew fast, mostly when grown in containers and close to walls. So air circulation is essential. Occasionally, the woody herb does not mind a misting, but the key is air circulation.
In a freezing growing zone, rosemary cannot tolerate temperatures that dip down more than 10°F.
So, if you live in a zone where it gets cold, it is best to grow your woody herb in a pot and brought indoors when temperatures drop.
Watering

Young outdoor plants will need regular watering when standing in exposed locations, depending on the temperatures. Still, once your plant grows and the root zone is established, it can thrive on average moisture levels.
You may find in colder microclimates, you can water less, while it will need more frequent watering in hot regions. When growing plants, the rule is not to overwater as it can lead to the rotting of the roots.
Another helpful thing is to use thick mulch around the root zone to help retain water.
Soil
Growing Tuscan Blue Rosemary, the soil type you use is of importance. Whether grown as landscape plants or in containers, drainage is essential. Furthermore, the soil must aerate well.
What you add to help get well-drained soil depends on your potting medium. It needs very well-drained soil to prevent root rot. While blue rosemary survives in most soils, like sandy soils, it enjoys having more alkaline than acidic soil.
It does well in clay soils, but amending it with some sand helps. Lastly, it also loves loamy soil. Most importantly, choose the right pot size with enough drainage holes to prevent standing water for potted plants.
Fertilizing

Rosemary thrives in a dry location as it prefers dry soil to soggy soil. Hence, it does not need much feeding. You can feed an all-purpose fertilizer every two to three years in late winter. Still, if your rosemary looks a bit pale during the growing season in early spring, feed it once with an all-purpose fertilizer.
Pruning
For newly planted rosemary, you need not prune for a few years. Then, you can give your plant a good pruning every spring after it completes those pretty blue flowers and dies off.
When your rosemary reaches a mature height, you may need to remove whole branches using a saw to shape and allow for enough air circulation. In addition, you can remove some crossing branches when they grow too dense.
You can do light pruning during the year, but it depends on the size, and you may only need a trim when harvesting the tips.
Propagation

The rosemary can multiply and is well suited for propagation using cuttings from the stem in water.
- Take softwood cuttings about 8 inches long.
- Strip off the lower leaves and place the stem in a jar of water.
- Ensure that at least two to three nodes are below the water line.
- Once root growth appears, you can transplant them into a soil mix.
Potting
The Tuscan Blue Rosemary care tips are the same as growing them in the ground. Always choose a container size considering the mature height. You can start small and work your way up with repotting.
Your plant will do fine in a ceramic, plastic, clay pot, and even terra cotta alongside your other herbs. Use a well-draining mix of 1/2 succulent/cactus mix and 1/2 potting soil.
You can expect to water more as well. Then, provide your rosemary with enough bright light, allowing the soil to dry between watering.
Then, take your plants outside during the warmer months to get some sun and heat.
Pests and Diseases
You may find your rosemary plant does not get any pests but might see occasional spittle bugs you can hose off. In contrast, it can be susceptible to mealybugs, scale, and spider mites. Your Tuscan Blue Rosemary can get fungal disease or mildew due to high humidity and temperatures.
III. Uses and Benefits

Tuscan Blue Rosemary is great for beds and borders, Mediterranean gardens, cottage gardens, city gardens, gravel gardens, patio containers, or as a formal or informal hedge.