Is Rosemary deer resistant?
Salvia rosmarinus
About Rosemary
Intensely aromatic, and one of the plants deer reliably refuse. Also genuinely useful in the kitchen, which is not true of most of this list. Hardiness is the constraint. It is reliable to about zone 8, sometimes zone 7 with sharp drainage and a sheltered wall, and dies outright further north. Cold alone is not what kills it; cold plus wet is. A rosemary in heavy soil will rot over winter in a zone where the same plant survives easily in gravel. North of that, grow it in a pot and bring it in. The usual indoor failure is the opposite of the outdoor one: overwatering. Let the pot dry out between waterings, give it the brightest window you have, and expect it to sulk until spring.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Sharp, gritty. Will rot in wet soil
- Water
- Low
- Fertility
- Low
- Spacing
- 24 to 35 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- High
- Salt
- High
- Pollinators
- High
- Evergreen
- Containers
- Coastal sites
What to plant it with
Keep apart from
- Hosta
Same conflict. Rosemary needs sharp drainage and full sun, hosta needs moist shade.
Similar to Rosemary
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Arrowwood ViburnumViburnum dentatumZones 2–8Rarely damaged
- BarberryBerberis sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- BayberryMyrica pensylvanicaZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Blue Mist ShrubCaryopteris clandonensisZones 6–9Rarely damaged
- BoxwoodBuxus sempervirensZones 5–8Rarely damaged
- BroomCytisus sp.Zones 5–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
Where Rosemary grows
Hardy across most of these 23 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
Browse from here
Every list Rosemary belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Rosemary
- Is Rosemary deer resistant?
- Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Rosemary grow in?
- Rosemary is hardy in USDA zones 8 to 10. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Rosemary grow in shade?
- No. Rosemary wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Rosemary get?
- Mature height is roughly 48–60 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- When does Rosemary bloom?
- Rosemary flowers from March–May.