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decolady01

Cumberland Rosemary

decolady01
17 years ago

Anyone successfully growing this? I bought four small plants a couple of years ago. Three I planted at the farm in TN and one at my Mom's in AL. If the ones at the farm are still alive, I don't know where they are. The one at Mom's is thriving and really took off this past year. I've gotten several starts of it to try again at the farm. They are in pots right now. This time I'm going to mark them. At Mom's the plant is in a raised bed with southern exposure. She has a sprinkler system that waters the bed regularly. It has gone from a small plant in a 2" pot to a plant that is about 8-10" high and spreads over 2'. We have a creek so I should be able to mimic it's natural habitat at the farm.

Becky

Comments (8)

  • hermitonthehill
    17 years ago

    I hadn't ever heard of this Rosemary. What makes it different from "regular" Rosemary if I may ask?

  • decolady01
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Check out the link below. The plant growing at Mom's is very strongly scented and I have been using it in cooking.

    Becky

    Here is a link that might be useful: Endangered Species - Cumberland Rosemary

  • hermitonthehill
    17 years ago

    Very cool... now I'm going to be on the lookout for it. I know a spot here on the hill, that with the addition of sand or otherwise replacing the soil with sand, that it could regularly have spring water flushed through it from reservoir tank overflow. Sounds like it's almost-aquatic in nature. Do you find any difference in the flavour with culinary usage, compared to "regular" Rosemary? Better, the same, or equal but different? Rosemary is a "must" with all of my chicken and turkey cooking....

  • mikeatle
    17 years ago

    Where can we find Cumberland Rosemary? What nurseries carry it?

  • Soeur
    17 years ago

    Logged into GW for the first time in ages and saw one of my favorite plants as a header!

    Cumberland Rosemary (Conradina verticillata) is found on the Cumberland Plateau in well drained sunny sites. It's not a "true" rosemary (an old world plant) but it certainly has a strong almost piney aroma reminiscent of the real thing, which makes sense as they are distantly related. It's quite lovely in bloom, too, with showy lavender pink clusters of lipped blossoms in spring (there's a white-flowered form, too). There's a second conradina (C. canescens) called Coastal Rosemary, which has wider leaves and, to my eye, a bushier habit. The larger foliage may provide that impression, though. Both are essentially small shrubs, like a regular rosemary, but not as upright in habit.

    In truth I've never actually used conradinas in cooking. I don't see why it wouldn't work -- same aromatic oils and all. As with true rosemary I think a little would go a long way, you wouldn't have to butcher the plant for culinary use.

    If you want to grow conradinas, select a VERY well drained site in full sun. They don't mind regular water as long as the drainage is excellent.

    We grow both species at GroWild (I'm the propagator there) in Fairview, TN, about 25 miles SW of Nashville out Hwy 100.

    Marty

  • april_h_o April Moore
    17 years ago

    Yes, Scott's Gulf is one of the locations where this one grows, usually in sandy soils and full sun along the river.

    There is a picture of one on my Scott's Gulf website (follow the link below to Cumberland Rosemary).

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cumberland Rosemary in Scott's Gulf

  • decolady01
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Three years later: a report!

    The Cumberland Rosemary at my Mom's in Madison, AL has been growing wonderfully. From that original 2" pot, the plant has spread into a mass about about three feet in diameter. And it has been shared with several people. Branches that lay on the ground tend to sprout roots, so it's easy to pass-along.

    In 2007 I moved some of hers to our farm in Lincoln County. I had put cinderblocks at the ends of all my raised beds and have planted herbs in them. A couple of the blocks have Cumberland Rosemary. It has thrived there, but the plants are not nearly as large as Mom's.

    Just this week, Mom brought me another start. I have a 3' tall bay tree that grows in a pot and I want the Cumberland Rosemary to grow around the base of it. Will experiment with it this year and see how that works.

    I'm curious to know if anyone else has tried growing Cumberland Rosemary and if so, how well is it doing?

  • april_h_o April Moore
    13 years ago

    It's rare enough and its requirements exacting enough that I've never heard of anyone growing it successfully (other than nurseries like GroWild that know what they are doing), but I'm REALLY glad you've had great success with it. It's very hard to find in the wild nowadays.

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