Growing wild rosemary

Wild rosemary is indigenous to South Africa. It's very pretty, generally easy to grow, and valued for its flavour and fragrance.

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Wild rosemary (Eriocephalus africanus) is an evergreen shrub indigenous to South Africa. It is cultivated in Spain, Dalmatia, Tunisia, Morocco and Southern France, as well as in England, the US and Mexico. In South Africa the plant is found mostly in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape.

The plant is an evergreen shrub, with a trailing, slender, leafy stem that is woody. The thick root system includes a long taproot, which helps the plant to absorb any available water and enables it to grow where many others will not. Frequent pruning to remove dead branches will help to keep the plant bushy and healthy.

The plant has thin, grey leaves, which smell like Vicks Vaporub when crushed. The leaves are small and needle-shaped.

White flowers appear in winter (May to September), and the berries mature late in autumn. The fruit is covered in long, white hairs, which resemble cotton wool.

Wild rosemary prefers a night temperature of between 10°C to 13°C, and a day temperature of between 20°C to 22°C.

A well-drained, loamy and fairly dry soil is required. The plant can grow in very acid soil. It is quite hardy, can tolerate drought, and recovers easily from grazing by animals.