Grow Your Very Own Rosemary Christmas Tree

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Originally uploaded by ceejayoz

Grow a Rosemary Christmas Tree

Do you like rosemary "trees" as part of your Christmas decorations? You can save money by buying a plant and shaping it into your very own Christmas tabletop tree.


Trimmed to a triangular Christmas tree shape, or a round shape, and decorated, rosemary plants look festive on a table or on your front porch. If your porch has room, one plant on each side of the door looks cheery and welcoming.


Now is a good time to visit your plant store and buy a small rosemary plant that has the potential for you to trim it to a pretty shape. You can do the shaping over a period of weeks if appropriate. This can be a family project to find a rosemary plant that you will use as holiday decor each year. When you buy a rosemary plant in October or November, ask your store expert if you can keep the plant outside until you display it or if it will do best indoors, with plenty of sunlight. Their recommendations will vary with the climate in your area.

Once your rosemary "tree" is selected and gently trimmed to the shape you want, look around for things to trim it with. Bows, strings of beads, and tiny ornaments will add color to your tree and room or porch. You can cover the pot with gold or red foil for even more holiday glow.

Name your must have plants

Hi gardeners,
Do you have any plants you consider essential?
Post them in a comment if you are so inspired.
For my vegie patch, tomatoes, basil and cilantro are must haves.
I have 4 roses that I am fond of. One multiflora pink rose arches over a statue of Mary, so is the focal point, with her, of my little ol Mary Garden.
Rosemary also graces her garden, and it is super to have fresh rosemary sprigs available. Just put a few sprigs in the oven when baking chicken or roasting beef.
The branches are also fun to add to charcoal briquets, for outdoor grilling.
I also admire my two cantua plants, which are about seven feet tall, and have splashy red trumpet shaped flowers most of the year, that hummingbirds like. The cantua is the national flower of Chile, and my friend from Santiago told me about its beauty.
Any favorites you want to share?