USGrowersGuide

Plants · Herbs

Rosemary planting zones

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, formerly Rosmarinus officinalis) is a perennial. By the type table below, at least one type lives through winter in the ground in 7a–13b; colder than that, it is a pot plant or a one-season crop. Below the types are the dates that decide when it goes out and when it comes in: each zone’s median last spring freeze and first fall freeze, from NOAA records.

Published October 23, 2026 · Cite this page

The types

Which rosemary to grow

Type Hardy in the ground Notes
Hardier cultivars Salvia rosmarinus ‘Arp’, ‘Madalene Hill’, ‘Athens Blue Spire’, ‘Hill Hardy’ 7a no warm-end limit Penn State: hardier to zone 7, or 6b with protection. Clemson recommends ‘Arp’ or ‘Hill Hardy’ in South Carolina’s Upstate.
Upright rosemary Salvia rosmarinus (e.g. ‘Tuscan Blue’, ‘Gorizia’) 8a no warm-end limit Penn State rates rosemary a tender perennial for zones 8 to 10; Illinois says it is a perennial shrub in zone 8 and above.
Prostrate rosemary Salvia rosmarinus (e.g. ‘Prostratus’, ‘Huntington Carpet’) 8b no warm-end limit Trailing forms for walls, containers and ground cover. Clemson says prostrate cultivars are not as cold hardy.

Zone ranges are a judgement: horticultural convention set beside what the sources below say, not a measurement. They agree with our What survives my winter tool. In the next table the freeze dates are measured, and the count of hardy types comes from these judged ranges; its last column counts back from a measured date by a source’s rule.

Zone by zone

Where rosemary lives through winter, and when the freezes fall

Each date is the median across every NOAA station the zone’s ZIP codes cite, 1991–2020 normals. The middle half of those stations falls within the range shown beside it.

Zone Types hardy in the ground Last spring freeze First fall freeze Bring pots in by
3a 0 of 3 only 10 stations with comparable freeze dates — too few to publish a date
3b 0 of 3 May 18 · middle half May 15 – May 25 September 23 · middle half September 17 – September 26 September 2 – September 9
4a 0 of 3 May 15 · middle half May 10 – May 21 September 27 · middle half September 22 – September 30 September 6 – September 13
4b 0 of 3 May 11 · middle half May 5 – May 23 September 30 · middle half September 23 – October 3 September 9 – September 16
5a 0 of 3 May 9 · middle half May 1 – May 20 October 2 · middle half September 26 – October 7 September 11 – September 18
5b 0 of 3 May 4 · middle half April 27 – May 15 October 8 · middle half October 1 – October 14 September 17 – September 24
6a 0 of 3 May 1 · middle half April 24 – May 9 October 14 · middle half October 5 – October 20 September 23 – September 30
6b 0 of 3 April 25 · middle half April 17 – May 3 October 20 · middle half October 11 – October 24 September 29 – October 6
7a 1 of 3 April 19 · middle half April 11 – April 27 October 23 · middle half October 17 – October 28 October 2 – October 9
7b 1 of 3 April 8 · middle half April 3 – April 16 October 30 · middle half October 25 – November 3 October 9 – October 16
8a 2 of 3 March 30 · middle half March 25 – April 5 November 5 · middle half November 1 – November 10 October 15 – October 22
8b 3 of 3 March 20 · middle half March 13 – March 29 November 12 · middle half November 7 – November 18 not needed: every type is rated hardy here
9a 3 of 3 March 5 · middle half February 24 – March 15 November 24 · middle half November 18 – December 2 not needed: every type is rated hardy here
9b 3 of 3 February 12 · middle half January 30 – February 25 December 8 · middle half December 1 – December 17 not needed: every type is rated hardy here
10a 3 of 3 107 of 190 stations here record no ordinary freeze, so there is no freeze date to count from
10b 3 of 3 70 of 79 stations here record no ordinary freeze, so there is no freeze date to count from
11a 3 of 3 34 of 34 stations here record no ordinary freeze, so there is no freeze date to count from
11b 3 of 3 12 of 12 stations here record no ordinary freeze, so there is no freeze date to count from

“Types hardy in the ground” is a judgement, from the type table above. The freeze dates are measured. “Bring pots in by” is Penn State’s rule, two to three weeks before the median first fall freeze; Illinois brings pots in later, just before a frost.

A zone does not tell you your own dates. Inside a single zone the median last spring freeze still varies by 34 days from station to station, so the box below gives the dates of the NOAA station nearest your ZIP code.

Your ZIP code

Your ZIP, your answer

Enter your ZIP code to see your USDA zone, how many of the 3 types on this page live through that zone’s winter and when its freezes fall, read from the table on this page, and the freeze dates of the NOAA station nearest you.

Works for all 40,502 US ZIP codes. Freeze dates need a NOAA station within 100 km; where there is none, the page says so rather than estimating one. Your ZIP code stays in your browser: the page downloads the file of ZIP codes that share its first three digits and looks yours up there. It is not stored or tracked.

Your answer appears here.

Full details for any ZIP code: ZIP code zone finder.

Which rosemary for your zone

Penn State Extension rates rosemary a tender perennial evergreen shrub for zones 8 to 10, and names ‘Arp’, ‘Athens Blue Spire’, ‘Madalene Hill’ and ‘Miss Jessop’s Upright’ as hardier, to zone 7 or to 6b with protection. University of Illinois Extension says rosemary is a perennial shrub in zone 8 and above, is not reliably hardy in zone 6 or colder, and is best overwintered indoors there; it calls ‘Arp’ one of the more cold-tolerant varieties, to perhaps zone 6.

Clemson’s Home & Garden Information Center says rosemary varies in its hardiness: in South Carolina’s Upstate, plant reliably hardy varieties such as ‘Arp’ or ‘Hill Hardy’. Prostrate cultivars are not as cold hardy.

In Florida, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions calls rosemary Florida-Friendly: it thrives in Florida year-round but may need protection from freezes in colder parts of the state. UF/IFAS Northwest District says rosemary can persist for years as a shrub in zone 8 and warmer.

Planting

The sources disagree on starting it yourself. Penn State says low viability and slow germination make rosemary difficult to grow from seed, named cultivars do not stay true from seed, and it is best propagated from stem cuttings or layering; Illinois says cuttings root easily. UF/IFAS says rosemary is hard to start from seed or cuttings and is best bought as plants.

Penn State plants rosemary two feet apart in full sun and light, well-drained sandy or gravelly soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0, and prefers a pea gravel or sandy mulch to an organic one, which holds moisture. UF/IFAS says it needs well-drained soil and at least six hours of sun. Texas A&M’s Growing Herbs in Texas starts cuttings in early spring in full sun and spaces plants 24 inches apart.

If rosemary will come indoors for winter, Illinois suggests growing it in a container from the start, because rosemary planted in the garden does not transplant well.

Watering and pruning

Penn State says rosemary is drought tolerant once established but does poorly in wet or poorly drained clay, and that overwatering causes root rot, which can be deadly outdoors and especially in pots overwintered indoors. UF/IFAS Northwest District says rosemary dislikes overwatering. Clemson says all rosemary grows best in dry, sunny areas in well-drained soil.

Penn State says to prune after flowering. Illinois says pruning encourages a tight, compact habit and that plants can be sheared into forms resembling small evergreens; it adds that regular fertilization gives the best foliage for harvest.

Harvesting for the kitchen

Penn State says to cut leaves at any time during the growing season to use fresh, and to add them early in cooking, using sprigs that can be removed before serving or finely chopped leaves. Illinois cuts tender tips and foliage as needed, and says longer woody stems make skewers for kabobs. It advises using rosemary sparingly, with fish, pork, lamb, poultry and game.

Texas A&M’s bulletin says to clip the tops of rosemary when plants are in full bloom.

Getting rosemary through winter

Where it is not hardy, Penn State says to grow rosemary as an annual or in pots taken indoors two to three weeks before the first frost date in the fall; the table above counts that window from your zone’s median first fall freeze. Illinois says plants can be left outside into the fall and brought in just before a frost occurs. Penn State moves pots back outside in spring after the danger of frost.

Indoors, Penn State uses a south-facing window in full sun or supplemental lighting, with good air circulation, and clay pots, which let the soil dry quickly. It warns that overwintering indoors may be difficult because of low light and too little or too much water. Illinois says rosemary prefers a cool, even cold, sunny spot with high humidity; it dries out quickly indoors, which shows as brown leaf tips and dieback, but that is not a reason to water more, because that leads to root rot. It keeps the soil on the dry side and raises humidity with pebble-filled saucers of water.

Where it stays out, UF/IFAS Duval County says to protect rosemary during frost.

Common problems

Penn State says rosemary is prone to powdery mildew and root rot: leave room between plants for air to move, and avoid overwatering. Browning of the tips is a sign of root rot. Outdoor plants in full sun resist pests, but thrips, aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs and spider mites may be a problem indoors. Penn State calls it deer-tolerant.

Texas A&M’s survey of Texas herb crops reports no major insect or disease problems for commercial rosemary, but root rot in poorly drained soils.

Common mistakes

We found no Texas source on rosemary hardiness or overwintering. Texas A&M’s statewide bulletin, Growing Herbs in Texas (2009), gives planting and spacing only.

Questions

What zone is rosemary hardy in?
Penn State rates rosemary for zones 8 to 10, with ‘Arp’, ‘Athens Blue Spire’, ‘Madalene Hill’ and ‘Miss Jessop’s Upright’ hardier, to zone 7 or to 6b with protection. Illinois says it is not reliably hardy in zone 6 or colder.
When should I bring rosemary indoors?
Penn State says to bring pots indoors two to three weeks before the first frost date in the fall. Illinois says plants can stay out into the fall and come in just before a frost. The table on this page gives your zone’s median first fall freeze and Penn State’s window.
Why are my rosemary’s tips turning brown?
Penn State says browning tips are a sign of root rot, from overwatering. Indoors, Illinois says rosemary dries out quickly, giving brown leaf tips and dieback, and that watering more is not the fix; keep it cool, keep the soil on the dry side and raise the humidity around it.
Can rosemary grow in Florida?
Yes. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says rosemary thrives in Florida year-round but may need protection from freezes in colder parts of the state. It needs well-drained soil and at least six hours of sun, and UF/IFAS Northwest District says it dislikes overwatering.
Is rosemary easy to grow from cuttings?
The sources disagree. Penn State says rosemary is best propagated from stem cuttings or layering, and Illinois says cuttings root easily. UF/IFAS says it is hard to start from seed or cuttings and is best bought as plants.

Sources

Freeze dates on this page are NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, for every station the ZIP codes in each zone cite. Zones are the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. The type table is a judgement, as labelled above. Growing advice is quoted from the extension publications below, each written for its own area.

How we write our guides

Published October 23, 2026

How to cite this page

Copy a citation below. The accessed date is today's, filled in by your browser; if it shows [date], put in the day you read the page. Check the format against the style guide you are using.

APA

USGrowersGuide.com. (2026, October 23). Rosemary planting zones. Retrieved [date], from https://usgrowersguide.com/plants/rosemary

MLA

“Rosemary planting zones.” USGrowersGuide.com, 23 Oct. 2026, usgrowersguide.com/plants/rosemary. Accessed [date].

Seasonal jobs for this plant

Related