Rosemary 'Irene'

Rosmarinus officinalis

How to grow Rosemary 'Irene'

  • Full Sun

  • Low

Try to plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to apply water fairly sparingly. Keep in mind when planting that Irene is thought of as hardy, so it can be safe to leave outdoors for the majority of winter (although if in doubt, using a row cover is often a good idea). Ideally plant in sandy, potting mix and loamy soil and try to keep the ph of your soil between the range of 6.5 and 8.5 as Irene likes to be in weakly acidic soil to weakly alkaline soil.

Growing Irene from seed

Transplanting Irene

This plant is very drought tolerant and needs to be planted in full sun with well drained soil. Rosemary Irene is a prostrate cultivar that will cascade over a container or wall. The flowers are violet blue color. The foliage is very fragrant.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Irene is a hardy plant.

Harvesting Irene

Irene Patent Information

Patent #91244

Rosemary Irene Etymology

It is said that the Virgin Mary spread her blune cloak over a white-blossomed rosemary bush when she was resting, and the flowers turned blue. The bush then became known as the “Rose of Mary”.1

Rosemary Irene was named after Princes Irene (AKA Renzels).4

Irene folklore & trivia

Rosemary has a reputation for improving memory and has been used as a symbol for remembrance during weddings, war commemorations and funerals in Europe and Australia.3

Other Names for Rosemary 'Irene'

Rosemary, Romero, mary’s mantle

Footnotes

1 ANZAC Day

2 Park Seed

3 Australian War Memorial

4 US PP 9124"

5 www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plat_id=1853