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New Gardner

by Andrea
(Camden, S.C. USA)

I love reading your writings! I am a new Gardner in the midlands of South Carolina. I decided to become a "rescue" Gardner and only buy the clearance plants that stores haven't taken care of, plants that people have tossed away, plants that people give me, or that I dig up when people are willing to share. I've only planted ornamental plants so far except for rosemary. I planted rosemary this past spring but the plants wax and wane especially since we had a particularly unusually wet July and August. I've propagated some of the sprigs for planting in the Spring and am hoping that I can amend the soil to perhaps make it a little more sandy or rocky.

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Sep 23, 2024
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harsh treatment
by: Caroline

Oh yes, as you can see from the photographs, the rosemary is not only never watered or fertilized, growing on a terrace in some of the lowest nutrient soils IN THE WORLD, our Cape sands, but... it is mulched with concrete shatter... and that has been there since I planted them out as tiny plantlings from the nursery....I should be had up for botanical abuse...but the rosemary seems to love it.

Sep 23, 2024
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Rosemary quite contrary
by: Caroline

Dear Andrea
Thank you for your kind words. I'm so happy to make you happy !

I see you are in Camden, South Carolina, zone 8b humid subtropical, sand hills eco region.

Rosemary thrives in my garden so I'm trying to work out what would be different about Camden.

We're maritime (about 4 km from the sea) Mediterranean climate with a very harsh dry summer. You mention it being very wet in July and August, so you have summer rains, rather than winter rains like us. Perhaps the plants need to be in very well draining locations to support the addition of high rainfall and warmth which would I think encourage fungus.

BUT....The Rosemary here does wane in the heat and dry climate. It blossoms in late winter and puts out tender new green shoots in the cold rainy season. My sister saw it in summer and commented that it needed water. It looked on its last legs... but that is the way it is every summer. She is from San Diego California so you can get an idea of how dry it is here.

Your soil sounds right. Our sand is very calcareous as we used to be under the ocean only tens of thousands of years back so there is a lot of wind blown shell dust around. Large areas of France are pure chalk but in the south and in south west Spain where the plant comes from there is also a lot of limestone, also some conglomerates and volcanic intrusions. You could try collecting shells and mulching the plants with shells. Mine have never had any fertility added. The grow on the edge of a stone terrace which is infilled with the deep marine sand you find in our area. They really get dry and its nutrient poor !

I think you are definitely warm enough. Perhaps if the plants survive, but don't always look their best, its ok. They can be really tough.

From your description your skills are excellent and your gardening philosophy of being a plant saver deserves all honour. Your garden must be beautiful. Please send a picture if you can !

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