Why does my rosemary keep dying?

Almost always overwatering and poor drainage — rosemary evolved on dry, rocky ground and its roots rot in soil that stays wet. Plant it in gritty, fast-draining soil in full sun, and water only once the top inch or two has dried out.

Can rosemary survive winter outdoors?

In mild-winter regions, yes — it becomes a woody shrub over the years. In cold-winter climates it won't survive outside, so grow it in a pot and bring it indoors to a sunny window before hard frost, keeping it on the dry side.

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How to Grow Rosemary: An Evergreen Shrub That Lives on Neglect

GardenDraft Team · June 26, 2026 · 5 min read

Part of: Garden Planning Guides · How to Grow Vegetables — Crop Guides A–Z

Rosemary is a small evergreen shrub that happens to live in the herb garden, and once you see it that way the care makes sense. It wants what a Mediterranean hillside offers: sun, sharp drainage, and lean soil it can dry out between drinks. Get the drainage right and rosemary asks for almost nothing for years; get it wrong and you'll lose it to root rot no matter how careful you are otherwise.

Drainage first, everything else second

The single most common way to kill rosemary is to love it with water and rich soil. It evolved on dry, rocky ground, so its roots rot in soil that stays wet. Plant it in full sun in gritty, fast-draining soil, and water only when the top inch or two has dried out — established plants are genuinely drought-tolerant. If your ground is heavy clay, grow rosemary in a pot or a raised bed with extra grit mixed in, where you control the drainage. Skip the fertilizer; lean soil gives more concentrated, aromatic foliage than a pampered plant.

Buy a plant, don't start from seed

Rosemary seed germinates slowly and unevenly, and seedlings take a long time to amount to anything — so most gardeners start from a nursery plant or a cutting. Rosemary roots well from a stem cutting stuck in moist gritty mix, which is also the cheapest way to turn one good plant into several. A single established shrub will supply a kitchen indefinitely.

Winter is the real question

Whether rosemary is a perennial or an annual for you comes down to winter cold. It's reliably hardy in mild-winter regions, where it becomes a woody shrub a few feet across over the years. In cold-winter climates it won't survive outdoors, so grow it in a pot and bring it inside before hard frost, giving it the sunniest window you have and easing off on water through the dim months. A plant indoors for winter is prone to rot from overwatering and to powdery mildew in stagnant air, so keep it on the dry side with some airflow.

Harvest rosemary by pruning

Harvesting rosemary is the same act as keeping it shapely: snip sprigs from the soft, green new growth rather than the old woody stems, which won't releaf well if cut back hard. Regular light trimming keeps the shrub dense and productive, and you can take what you need year-round from an outdoor plant in a mild climate. It earns a spot near the vegetables too as a fragrant companion planting that pollinators love when it flowers. Check the right week to set plants out on the planting calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my rosemary keep dying?: Almost always overwatering and poor drainage — rosemary evolved on dry, rocky ground and its roots rot in soil that stays wet. Plant it in gritty, fast-draining soil in full sun, and water only once the top inch or two has dried out.
Can rosemary survive winter outdoors?: In mild-winter regions, yes — it becomes a woody shrub over the years. In cold-winter climates it won't survive outside, so grow it in a pot and bring it indoors to a sunny window before hard frost, keeping it on the dry side.