Look! Rosemary Trees At Whole Foods

When my husband and I set foot inside our local Whole Foods this weekend it was crazy busy as you might expect before a holiday. We decided to divide and conquer our list and we each took half. When he returned he had arms full of the items I sent him off for and then... he also had a tree. A rosemary tree!

Technically speaking, rosemary was on his list of things to get and our local store had these rosemary trees up for grabs at just $9.99 (instead of $3-$4/box). Not really sure what I was going to do with an entire shrub in my kitchen, but excited at the price point we tossed it in the cart and brought it home. We've since named it Roger (because it just didn't seem like a Sally) and have been in love with the intoxicating smell it's given our dining room.

It's enough rosemary to take us through heavy handed flavorful dishes of the fall and right on past Thanksgiving. Since we've had it the last few days, it's even started to grow bigger, taller and we're assuming stronger. It's tag says it likes dry soil and light and we're totally down with a plant we can set in the sun and forget about for a week or two without having to re-water it.

If you're not using them for your own culinary adventures they would be a most amazing gift for a friend or family member who has you over for dinner or cocktails. Instead of something trivial, bring something that will not only fill their house with a great smell, but be able to be used over the next several months in their holiday cooking as well. For less than $10, it's a great find!

(PS, thanks for overlooking the extreme shadows our tall windows place on everything we photograph and also our scribbles on our dining room table. That's the bonus about having an extra large DIY table made from doors is that you can cover it with brown paper and take notes and doodle!)

(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)

Comments (9)

I've never had any luck with rosemary trees, which I like to get as my "christmas tree" since I do all my celebrating at my parents' house. They all die within weeks despite my attempts to treat it properly. I have a giant rosemary bush that I don't mess with at all that thrives just fine in my backyard.

The Trader Joes in our area sell these every year, right around this time.

Rosemary trees are great, but if you want to do right by your tree after Christmas, don't plant it outside! You can keep it potted all year and bring it outdoors once the warm spring weather arrives.

Here are some tips to keep your tree healthy:
http://www.suite101.com/content/rosemary-christmas-trees-a82332

When I saw this, I immediately thought of a rosemary Christmas tree, too! I will be celebrating my first Christmas as an adult (just graduated college), and would rather not splurge for an artificial tree (I'm allergic to the real deal), especially since storage is an issue. This could be both festive and useful. Thank!

I would replant it in a bigger pot. then you can let it go a while without watering. otherwise, it will need watering at least once a week, likely more. you should notice the leaves drooping a little when it's thirsty.

Rosemary also roots very quickly, you can propagate a cutting easily in a pot of potting soil.

Thank you large hearted boy! I get long sprigs of Rosemary (at store or from cuttings,) put them in a glass of water for a day, prepare a clay pot with soil and wet it, dip the sprigs in rooting powder and stick them in the dirt. With minimal tending, (not too much water and a lot of sun, yes observe the leaves) they grow themselves into trees! Keep pruning and planting new sprigs and you will have Rosemary forever... they can be artfully bonsai'd as well, for small spaces!

Rosemary doesn't do particularly well inside. It's often too dry and they are prone to mites. Outside, they thrive like weeks. Last spring I planted a 2 sprig, 4 inch pot in my front yard and it is already a medium shrub.

I get one every year, but the tree succumbs to powdery mildew. How do I treat it?