Rosemary grows very well in California and I have several very large shrubs throughout my garden. If you like to make a Rosemary Miniature Christmas tree, you can plant rosemary in the garden and then follow these super easy instructions to make many little Christmas trees for the holiday season.
Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly known as rosemary, is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region.
How to make the Rosemary Miniature Christmas Tree
Start by looking for offshoot branches that are close to the ground. Here an offshoot has started to grow from the mother plant. Rosemary is woody and takes some cutting to separate it from the main plant.
I love using this small shovel that has a serrated edge for this purpose. It's easy to get under the plant without disturbing too much of the root system. At one point you might even have to use shears to cut the stem off.
You want to get a good amount of roots with the new offshoot. This allows the new Rosemary transplant to better establish itself. Before I pot the plant, I give these root a good sprinkle of root growth hormone. It helps with plant transplanting shock and gives the root a super boost to start growing in their new pot.
Fill your container with soil. If you do not have a drainage hole in the bottom you can fill the bottom with some pebbles before topping it off with soil. Just make sure not to overwater your new plant to prevent root rot.
At first, your plant will look nothing like a Christmas tree. Start by imagining a triangle and cutting off any branches that would stick out of that imaginary triangle. Don't worry if you cut something too short. Your new Rosemary plant will stretch itself towards the sun and as it grows you will have to come back and prune it more into the desired shape. The more you prune, the bushier and fuller the plant will be.
I like to add some flowers to the bottom, just so I can fill up any empty space in the pot until the plant fills out. After months of pruning, you can end up with Rosemary plant that looks like this.
