Rosemary TreeA rosemary tree makes an excellent centerpiece for a large dining table or the centre of a buffet. Many people like to use them for an indoor christmas tree, but it would be good for any occasion. The smell is divine. A lovely, piney aroma will permeate your home. Many garden centers will sell them around December - they will be ready shaped and possibly decorated. What do you do if you want a rosemary tree out of season or you don't want to spend the fortune that you will be charged in November/December? A simple solution is to start planning early - say around spring and select a well shaped Rosemary shrub from your garden center or take one out of your garden. Make sure you get one that has an upright growth habit - some cascade and whilst they're very pretty, it's the wrong shape for an indoor tree. Put it in a large pot. If you can mix the potting compost with some small vermiculite or similar, it will keep the plant well drained. Rosemary likes water, but not to sit in. It can't 'breathe' if it's waterlogged. A good idea is to put gravel in the base of a dish then put the pot with the rosemary tree on that. When you water, the excess will drain away. So, when you have a rosemary shrub the size of the tree you want, trim it into a cone shape. Just snip away, although it's a woody shrub, you can easily trim it with scissors. I suggest you strip the leaves off the trimmings and either dry them or freeze them for culinary use. When you have the shape you want, then you can decorate it. If it's Christmas, then you can spray small pieces of pasta in gold or silver and get some pretty tinsel to decorate, If you can't find a small star for the top, then make one out of cardboard and spray it to match. If you can't draw a star shape, then just draw two triangles and cross them in the middle to make a 6 pointed star.
If it's for another occasion, then you will need different decorations for it. If it's a birthday, then little ribbon bows would be lovely - choose the color according to the rest of your theme and either make bows or just drape lengths of ribbon around the branches. You could use paper or glittery streamers in the same way which would catch the light at an evening party. When you've finished with it indoors, you will need to return it outside - if it's winter, then leave it somewhere cool until the spring. Rosemary loves full sun, so keep it in its pot in a sunny place so that it can recuperate from its time indoors.
For an explanation of gardening terms that you might not understand, please check out the Growers Dictionary section.
|
