Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
- Wants
- Bright direct
- Tolerates
- Bright direct down to bright direct
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Pets
- Safe
- Outdoors
- Hardy
Why it wants that
A shrub of unshaded Mediterranean garrigue builds hard, resinous, short-jointed growth only under the full, uninterrupted sun its native scrub gets.
Too little light
Shoots elongate with widely spaced needles, the growth turns soft and floppy instead of stiff, lower stems shed foliage and go bare, and the aromatic oil in the leaf weakens.
Too much
Nothing: in a UK setting rosemary has no over-lighting failure mode. What looks like sun damage is the pot drying out - the foliage greys and crisps from drought and root heat, not from light.