Plant Library

Other Names:  Coastal Rosemary, syn. Westringia rosmariniformis

Description:

An outstanding small, compact shrub presenting linear, tightly crowded gray-green leaves with cream margins; a flush of small white flowers, typically only in spring; works well as a small hedge; can be sheared for a more formal look

Ornamental Features

Morning Light Coast Rosemary is bathed in stunning white star-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches in mid spring. It has attractive grayish green foliage edged in creamy white with hints of silver. The tiny fuzzy narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Morning Light Coast Rosemary is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Morning Light Coast Rosemary is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Morning Light Coast Rosemary will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to dry locations, and dislikes excessive moisture. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Morning Light Coast Rosemary makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.