[Catalpa]

Has anyone on here successfully overwintered rosemary indoors?  I would like to if possible, rather than buy a new plant every year.  However the articles I’ve found on Google were not very optimistic about my chances.  Any tips on keeping it alive and happy indoors?

[Trillium]

I put mine on a sunny window and water occasionally, but never fertilize it. The latter creates whiteflies quickly.

Water enough to keep the 'leaves' from going dry but don't overwater as this is an arid plant.

Taking cuttings from healthy branches might be a good idea.

[JayG]

Don't know what your winters are like in Ohio, but I've yet to lose an outdoor rosemary in the garden here (temperatures down to around -10C last winter - it's cold winds and waterlogging which tend to do more damage.)

Can't think why bringing it indoors would be a problem - it's a common plant in Mediterranean areas so can stand heat as well as cold.

I would think a greenhouse or unheated conservatory would be almost ideal as it would be protected from cold winds and the worst of the cold whilst still getting plenty of light (just don't water too much!)

[sunshineband]

I can echo what Jay has said --- we had one that reached about 20 yrs of age in our garden, which took everything thrown at it

 If your winters are so severe and prolonged that it is unlikely to survive, then as long as it is not too warm, too dark or too wet it should do just fine indoors in a pot

[barbarella]

 I have had mine for about five years and it has survived the last two bitterly cold winters so it is as tough as old boots.  But you need to replace rosemary (also lavender and santolina) after this length of time as they get progressively more woody.  It's really easy to take cuttings - put them into a  pot of gritty compost and leave them somewhere outdoors but sheltered - I did it this year at the end of summer as my big rosemary plant as it is getting a bit woody now and needs to be replaced, so I will pull it out next year and plant the rooted cuttings. 

[solway cropper]

Perhaps it depends on the variety but many years ago I lost one during a hard winter with temps down to -12˚C. It was in free draining soil so hadn't become waterlogged.

I do agree though, they are generally as tough as old boots even if they do come from the Mediterranean.

[Trillium]

Ohio tends to have very similar cold winters to Ontario, and rosemary left outside during winter is guaranteed to die.

[Catalpa]

Thanks everyone for the replies! 

From past experience, most of the herbs I grow in pots don’t survive the winter here.  (The only one I’ve had any real success with is thyme.)  I believe our lowest temperature last winter was around -18 C, not counting wind chill, and average temperature in January is around -5 to 0.  So it gets pretty chilly.

I have a south facing window that I’ve set it up in, and the “not too cold, not too much water” part shouldn’t be a problem because I am stingy with the heating, and often forget to water the houseplants.

[Catalpa]

Thanks everyone for the replies! 

From past experience, most of the herbs I grow in pots don’t survive the winter here.  (The only one I’ve had any real success with is thyme.)  I believe our lowest temperature last winter was around -18 C, not counting wind chill, and average temperature in January is around -5 to 0.  So it gets pretty chilly.

I have a south facing window that I’ve set it up in, and the “not too cold, not too much water” part shouldn’t be a problem because I am stingy with the heating, and often forget to water the houseplants.

Oops, I meant "not too warm, not too much water". 

[Grubbypaws]

My Rosemary is in a north west facing bed so during the winter it doesn,t see the sun for months on end. It is protected from the easterly winds but not from the gales that whip through the garden. Last winter the temperature got down to -17.5C.

It is healthy and happy!

[arugula]

Glad to hear yours is hardy like that Grubbypaws. After some years without a rosemary plant, I hadn't considered that mine might need moving for the winter. It too is exposed to gales (off the Atlantic). Mind you, if it is anything like as sturdy as the sage which sat under a blanket of snow for weeks last winter, it will be fine.

[Thrift]

I lost all my rosemary in the last two winters. However, like argyllie's, the sage survived everything!

[arugula]

Hm, perhaps some fleece might be required then, Thrift...

[realfood]

Some varieties of Rosemary are hardier than others. I have had a rosemary (variety unknown) bush outside in a sunny, sheltered position in Glasgow for some 40 odd years and it is still vigorous. The main stem is many inches in circumference. On the other hand, I have lost other more choice varieties of rosemary after one year!!

[lacewing]

Although most perennial herbs are said to be hardy.  Just to be on the safe side I always cover my herb bed with fleece during winter months,  Last winter my Bay plant lost all its leaves and I had given it up for dead.  But as soon as the weather warmed up it sprouted again from ground level. :happy: