Rosemary is a quintessential garden herb, but it can be difficult to know what to plant with it. Rosemary's growing requirements are too severe for most plants to cope with, so it's often grown in a separate part of the garden where many of its companion planting benefits are lost.
Whether you want to plant rosemary in pots or in the ground, there are herbs, flowers, and vegetables that will benefit from rosemary's presence. This guide breaks down which plants grow well with rosemary in the ground and which plants are better growing near potted rosemary, as well as some general tips to help you choose good rosemary pairings.
Skip Ahead: Benefits of companion planting with rosemary • The best rosemary companions • Rosemary companions for containers • What not to plant with rosemary • Strawberries and rosemary • Companion planting chart
Benefits of companion planting with rosemary
Rosemary isn't the most versatile companion plant, as it's particular about its soil and sun needs. Even more than other Mediterranean herbs, rosemary doesn't grow well with main season crops in a raised bed or rows. But positioned next to other popular garden herbs and vegetables, potted rosemary can still benefit its neighbors. Here's how:
- Deterring pests: As a companion plant, rosemary's greatest offerings include its abilities to repel whitefly, deter thrips, deter pepper pests, and deter some weevils and beetles. (In fact, rosemary oil even deters ticks!)
- Attracting pollinators: Rosemary's small flowers, like lavender, attract a wide range of bees, butterflies, and moths.
- Attracting beneficial insects: Rosemary also attracts hoverflies, also known as syrphid flies or sweat bees. These important predators help to keep aphid populations in check.
In general, plants that complement rosemary will either benefit from those pest deterring qualities or thrive in rosemary's growing conditions and help maximize garden space.
The best rosemary companion plants
Including vegetables, herbs, and flowers, here are the best neighbors for rosemary, whether in the ground or in raised beds:
Main season crops like tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans, and cucumbers can all benefit from being planted near rosemary, but they have very different soil requirements. If you have a small space and want to grow rosemary near fruiting vegetables, take a look at the best companions for rosemary in a container.
To make rosemary happy, use a soil mix with roughly equal parts potting soil or seed starting soil and added drainage, like perlite or vermiculite. Rosemary does well in poor soil, so adding just a small amount of organic compost will see it through the season. If you're planting rosemary in the ground, especially into clay, it's worth any time spent amending the soil.
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1. Carrots
Carrots attract beneficial insects, including assassin bugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps and flies. Though rosemary doesn't normally host any of these insects' prey, pairing rosemary and carrots can make a helpful defense system for other companions. Carrots planted with rosemary may also see less damage from carrot fly (also known as carrot root fly and carrot rust fly), as rosemary's strong scent can mask that of carrots.
Read More: The 10 Best Companion Plants for Carrots
2. Parsnips
As a close relative of carrots, parsnips suffer from the same pests, have the same requirements, and will similarly benefit from being planted next to rosemary. Give them full sun and loamy, well drained soil without too much organic matter added, and they'll be happy; plant rosemary nearby and they'll be less likely to attract pests.
3. Sage
Sage and rosemary grow in identical conditions: poor soil with excellent drainage and in a full sun position. Sage is also helpful for deterring pests like flea beetles, carrot flies, and cabbage moths, making it ideal for planting with rosemary in a pest-deterring herb container.
Though sage leaves may more abundantly with more nitrogenous soil, this will be at the expense of flavor. For a flavorful and aromatic harvest, grow both herbs with very little compost and roughly equal parts drainage and soil.
4. Oregano
Oregano, a member of the mint family along with rosemary and lavender, will thrive alongside rosemary in a container or raised bed. Its flowers also support lacewings, the larva of which prey on a number of common pests.
Greek oregano is the variety most often used in cooking, as it has a stronger aroma and flavor than Italian oregano. Other cooking varieties include common oregano, golden oregano, and Syrian oregano.
5. Marjoram
Marjoram refers to the plant Origanum majorana, and it's a relative of the more popular oregano species Origanum vulgare. While oregano is commonly referred to as "wild marjoram," marjoram itself is a distinct herb with a a sweeter, less spicy flavor. Names aside, these are closely related Mediterranean herbs that can handle being packed into a pot with rosemary, oregano, sage, and thyme. Expect flowering marjoram plants to attract bees and butterflies, as well.
6. Thyme
There are many varieties of thyme-- common, German, French, lemon-- and all of them will grow well with rosemary. Give them full sun and poor soil and they will be happy. Upright thyme is ideal for harvesting, while creeping thyme grows as a groundcover. Thyme essential oils are a useful natural insect repellent, and the plant itself may help deter or confuse pests like hornworms, cabbage loopers, earworms, and whitefly.
7. Tarragon
Though not a Mediterranean plant, tarragon is another herb that needs sharp drainage, full sun, and relatively poor soil. It will happily grow in a container or in the ground next to rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, and marjoram. Like all good rosemary companion herbs, tarragon attracts beneficial insects (lacewings, ladybugs, and hoverflies) and deters many common pests.
8. Marigolds
Marigolds, another native of Mexico and parts of Central America, are some of the all-around best companion flowers for a vegetable garden. They offer a host of benefits for nearby plants, including protecting against whiteflies, reducing root-knot nematode populations, reducing damage from brassica pests, and supporting some parasitic wasps. Planting rosemary with marigolds and situating them near your kale, cabbage, or broccoli will be one of the best ways to take advantage of both plants' benefit.
Read More: The 16 Best Companion Plants for Marigolds
9. Calendula
Calendula, commonly called pot marigolds, are compact annual flowers with bright orange, red, and yellow blooms. Calendula grow just a couple of feet tall, making them a better partner for upright rosemary than trailing rosemary. As a companion plant, calendula is excellent for pest management; research shows that calendula attracts some parasitoids that prey on aphids and may be even more effective than marigolds for deterring the most common cabbage pests.
10. Sweet alyssum
Sweet alyssum attracts predatory hoverflies, the larva of which prey on pests like mites and aphids. It also attracts parasitoid wasps and flies, an important control for keeping pests aphids and caterpillars in check.
11. Lavender
Companion planting rosemary and lavender creates a wonderfully fragrant display that will maximize space, improve insect biodiversity, and attract pollinators. Though lavender isn't the best companion herb for repelling pests, it can be used to make a natural insect repellent against mosquitos, fleas, and ticks.
What to plant with rosemary in a container
Even in moderate climate zones, rosemary can struggle to survive in the ground. For most gardeners, a better option will be companion planting with rosemary in containers like pots or troughs. This will allow you to give it ideal conditions while still placing it closely enough to deter pests from other crops.
Given that they'll be sharing soil, it's important to choose neighbor plants that also like full sun and can handle fast drainage and poor soil. This eliminates a lot of options, but it still leaves some beautiful herbs and annual flowers that offer their own benefits. The ideal companions for potted rosemary are primarily Mediterranean and Mexican herbs and flowers that thrive in dry, even arid soil.
Here are a few good herbs and flowers for companion planting with rosemary in a pot:
- Cosmos
- Zinnia
- Marigolds
- Calendula
- Sweet alyssum
- Lavender
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Marjoran
- Sage
- Tarragon
In a large container, dwarf varieties of cosmos and zinnia would pair perfectly behind rosemary. Marigolds, calendula, and sweet alyssum are all lower-growing and are excellent companion flowers for deterring pests. They would also do well planted with trailing rosemary in a pot, creating a colorful and compact display.
Finally, lavender, thyme, oregano, marjoram, sage, and tarragon all revel in rosemary's soil and sun conditions. Any combination of these herbs planted together in a large container would make a fantastically fragrant, abundant herb garden.
What not to plant with rosemary
There are two types of plants to avoid near rosemary: herbs that like loamy soil, and heavy feeding vegetables. This includes cucurbits, nightshade family vegetables, legumes, and cool weather herbs. Generally, all of the above will need too much organic matter and too much watering to share the soil with rosemary. That said, some bad rosemary pairings still benefit from being near potted rosemary.
Thanks to rosemary's ability to repel pests like thrips, aphids, and whitefly, it's particularly useful as a companion to main crop vegetables, as long as it's in its own container or raised bed. But if you're interplanting in the soil, here are some bad companion plants for rosemary:
- Alliums (onions, garlic, leeks, chives)
- Cucurbits (cucumber, squash, pumpkin, watermelons, melons)
- Nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes)
- Brassicas (kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli)
- Radish
- Mint
- Parsley
- Dill
- Cilantro
1. Alliums
Although onions and garlic like poor soil with good drainage, all alliums need moisture around their roots to grow well. This also includes chives, which are a cool weather herb.
Read More: The 20 Best Companion Plants for Onions
2. Cucurbits
Cucurbits like cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, watermelons, and melons need lots of water and rich soil. While rosemary would do well in a pot nearby-- and may even help repel pests for these plants-- they wouldn't make good companions.
Read More: The 13 Best Companion Plants for Cucumber
3. Nightshades
Peppers and rosemary need their own soil, but keeping rosemary near your peppers can reduce damage from common pepper pests and create a powerful pest deterrent for other pepper companion plants.
The same goes for other nightshades like tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes. Potted rosemary is actually a great companion plant for tomatoes, as it's highly effective at deterring green peach aphids.
Read More: The 17 Best Potato Companion Plants
4. Brassicas
Brassicas like kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli need a bit more organic matter in the soil than rosemary, but they'll all benefit from rosemary's ability to deter cabbage loopers and armyworms.
5. Radish
Rosemary helps to deter flea beetle, which is particularly attracted to radish. But unfortunately, radishes need consistently moist soil in their early stages to avoid growing a woody stem. They also grow best in cooler seasons, so they'll only overlap with rosemary for a short time in the late spring and late summer.
While rosemary and radishes won't grow together well in the soil, you can still see some benefits by keeping a pot of rosemary near your radishes.
6. Mint
Though mint and rosemary are both beautiful herbs and effective companions for other plants, planting rosemary and mint together will result in the mint either drying out or overtaking the rosemary, depending on the soil. There are a few good companion plants for mint, but it's generally best grown in its own container.
Read More: How to Grow Mint from Seed to Harvest
7. Parsley
Like chives, parsley grows best in partial shade during the summer. It also needs a fairly rich, moisture retentive soil, which rosemary will not abide. Instead of planting it with rosemary, companion plant parsley with main crop vegetables that suffer from aphids, thrips, and mites.
8. Dill
Companion planting with dill attracts beneficial predators and can help reduce aphid, mite, and thrip damage. Unfortunately, it doesn't share rosemary's soil needs, and it can stunt the growth of nearby plants, including tomatoes and carrots. Like mint and fennel, dill is a companion plant best grown in a pot.
9. Cilantro
Cilantro bolts quickly when the temperatures start to rise in early summer, so it won't grow alongside rosemary. As a leafy herb, it also benefits from rich, fertile soil and consistent watering-- exactly what rosemary does not want.
Read More: The Best and Worst Companion Plants for Cilantro
Are rosemary and strawberries good companion plants?
Strawberries often make lists of the best companions for rosemary, with claims that rosemary will benefit from improved soil fertility. In practice, the only real benefit of interplanting them is that rosemary repels some common strawberry pests. Both plants like acidic soil, full sun, and good drainage, but fruiting strawberries need significantly more water than rosemary.
Instead of planting the two in a bed together, try placing them near each other in containers. Situated in the sunniest position available (but in separate pots), strawberries can enjoy the pest-deterring effects of rosemary without suffering in rosemary's poorer, less frequently watered soil.
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