Rosemary

Looking after it

Water: Rosemary handles dry spells well. In the first year, water it when the weather is dry. After that, plants in the ground rarely need water. A pot needs water in hot weather, but never let the compost get waterlogged. Feeding: It needs very little food. Plants in the ground don't need feeding at all. If a plant has been in the same pot for more than a year, give it some general fertiliser granules in late spring or early summer.

Picking and keeping

Snip shoots whenever you need them, all year round. The soft new growth of late spring and summer tastes best. Trim the plant after flowering to keep it bushy. Don't cut into old, bare wood, because it rarely sprouts again. Fresh sprigs keep several days in the fridge. To dry them, hang them in a warm, dark, airy place. Then strip off the leaves and keep them in an airtight jar.

What can go wrong

• Rosemary beetle. From late summer to spring, small beetles with metallic green and purple stripes eat the leaves and so do their grey grubs. Pick them off by hand or shake the plant over a sheet of paper.
• Frost and wet damage. Shoots turn brown and die after a hard frost, cold wind or a wet winter. In very cold spells, cover the plant with fleece and move pots somewhere sheltered. Cut out the dead shoots in spring.
• Cuckoo spit. Blobs of white froth appear on the shoots in late spring. Each one hides a small insect that sucks sap. It does little harm, so wipe it off or rinse it away with water.