My newly acquired bonsai is a Rosemary tree. I live in the savanna climate of the Treasure Coast of south Florida. How can I help this tree adapt to this climate? When I removed it from the box it had small lavender flowers. When pruning do you disturb the flowers or allow them to drop off naturally? Can the spice Rosemary be harvested from this tree?

Marvin J. Lynch

Dear Marvin,

Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) is a very versatile shrub which can withstand a plethora of harsh climates, being suited to many styles in bonsai. This plant is salt tolerant and can withstand drought and windy conditions. It prefers a sunny site and thrives in well drained - but not neccessarily nutrient-rich soil. One thing it does not like is the cold - being a plant which originated from the Mediterranean - and therefore cannot tolerate constant temperatures below 41 degrees farenheit (5 degrees celcius). If temperatures do regularly drop below this level, it can be brought indoors for the colder months as long as it gets as much light as possible and cool temperatures at night. Don't let the plant dry out while indoors - and do not position it in a place where it may be subject to draughts or heaters. If you have one, it would be a good idea to keep the plant in a greenhouse - where it receives constant temperatures, water and good light year round.

The lavender flowers which appear abundantly on the new foliage of the rosemary shrub during fall (autumn) are definitely a beautiful attribute of this plant. Although routine pruning can be carried out all year round (i.e. tip pruning), the majority of pruning should be done in early spring - just after the flowers have died off. It is not detrimental to conduct major pruning on rosemary while they are flowering, however.

The spice of rosemary, can definitely be taken from this plant - but if you are treating it as an actual bonsai - it is probably just best to use what you would normally prune off to retain the tree's shape.

Dan

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