Best Rosemary Varieties for Scotland

Rosemary comes from dry Mediterranean hillsides. In a Scottish garden it's usually wet winter soil, not frost, that kills it, so the best varieties are the hardier ones that keep their growth clear of wet soil.

What Scotland means for the choice

Most rosemary here is rated H4: hardy to between -10°C and -5°C through most of the UK, but not reliably in inland valleys, at altitude or in central and northerly locations. That covers a lot of Scotland, so every variety needs the sunniest, most sheltered spot you have, ideally against a south- or west-facing wall, and ground that doesn't stay wet. Capri and the Prostrate Group are lower still, at H3The RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition →, hardy only in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK, and their ground-hugging stems sit in the wet. The rosemary growing guide covers drainage, planting, pots and pruning.

Miss Jessopp's Upright, Rosea and Foxtail hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGMThe RHS's Award of Garden Merit: a UK-wide trials award for reliable performance, not a Scotland-specific recommendation. Full definition →), a UK-wide award rather than a Scottish one. Severn Sea is often sold alongside them but doesn't.

Miss Jessopp's Upright

Miss Jessopp's Upright grows vigorously upright to 1.5–2.5m, with light blue flowers. It holds its foliage clear of wet ground and gives the most leaf per plant, so it's the one for a hedge or a steady kitchen supply.

Foxtail and Rosea, for smaller spaces

Foxtail has semi-trailing, arching stems that form a low dome, with pale blue flowers, at 0.5–1m. It gives a spreading look without dropping to the prostrate types' H3 rating, which makes it good for a wall edge or pot. Rosea is upright and the same size, with pale pink flowers instead of the usual blue.

Green Ginger, Severn Sea and Capri

Green Ginger is a bushy, upright rosemary with a gingery scent. Severn Sea has spreading, arching branches and is used for low hedging. Capri, from the Prostrate Group, lies flat and spreads, good for trailing over a wall or raised bed, but only on free-drainingSoil that lets water pass through quickly rather than pooling, so roots aren't sitting in wet ground after rain. Full definition → ground in a sheltered, mild spot, given its H3 rating.

Which one for your situation

• A hedge or plenty of leaf for cooking: Miss Jessopp's Upright.
• A pot onMoving a plant into a larger pot as its roots fill the current one, giving it more room and fresh compost before it becomes pot-bound. Full definition → the patio: Foxtail or Rosea.
• A spreading look on a cold plot: Foxtail, not a prostrate type.
• Trailing over a wall, on sharp drainage in a mild spot: Capri.
• Pink flowers or a ginger scent: Rosea or Green Ginger.

Root rot from waterlogged soil is rosemary's main cause of failure in a cold, wet climate, whatever the variety, and it's harder to spot early on a flat, prostrate plant. Watch for rosemary beetle on the leaves from autumn to spring.

Common questions

Sources