One of the most unique things about working fresh herb plants into your landscape is the fragrance that you enjoy throughout the growing season. One particularly fragrant plant that looks elegant in any landscape is rosemary. Rosemary is an evergreen hedge-like herb plant, and the woody stems of the plant help it hold up to demanding environments. Although it's a warm-weather plant, it is tolerant of colder climates as well. Here's a look at what you need to know to plant rosemary as part of your landscape.

How To Start Rosemary From Seed

Since rosemary seeds take time to germinate, you'll need to start the seeds inside a few months before you're ready to plant them in the yard. This means starting them in early winter, because they won't get transplanted until early spring.

It's equally important that you plant more seeds than you think you're going to need, because rosemary has a lower germination rate than some other herbs. That means that not every seed you plant will actually sprout to a plant, so you need to plant extras to allow for that potential failure.

Place rosemary seeds into vermiculite or a potting soil mixture that's designed to drain well. If the seeds are heavily saturated with water, they will drown and won't germinate. Make sure the seeds are covered with a light layer of the soil, then water the whole thing just enough to make sure that the soil is damp.

Cover the container with plastic wrap to keep the heat in, then put the container somewhere warm so the seeds don't get chilled. When the seedlings start to appear over the soil, pull the plastic off the container. Place it somewhere warm with a lot of light to help them grow.

How To Transplant Rosemary Seedlings

When the seedlings reach a couple of inches in height and the ground has warmed to spring temperatures, you can transplant those seedlings into your landscape. If you're going to keep that rosemary plant year-round, transplant them into a large container that matches the ambiance of your yard. That way, you can move the container indoors for the winter months.

Otherwise, dig a hole that's a couple of inches in diameter and a couple of inches deep. Dig around the seedling carefully to remove it from the starting container, then gently place it in the hole. Add the soil around it to fill in so that it's stable and can grow. Just make sure you plant it somewhere that receives full sun, because rosemary thrives with sunlight.