When to plant rosemary in Birmingham

Why these dates

Plant out after the last frost so the roots establish through a full growing season. Cuttings root readily in early summer, which is a faster and more reliable route than seed - rosemary seed germinates poorly and slowly.

Hardy to about -15C in free-draining soil, and considerably less in heavy wet ground. Drainage matters more than any temperature figure here.

Rosemary are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Birmingham is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Birmingham is zone 9a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 1, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

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