When to cut rosemary back – garden experts reveal the best time to prune this herb

Popular for its value in the kitchen, rosemary is the perfect option for gardeners looking to add easy-grow herbs to their space. Knowing when to cut rosemary back will help you get the most out of your plants.

As it's a perennial plant, learning how to grow rosemary will reward you with herbs year after year. Not only is rosemary brilliant in the kitchen, but its strong aroma also makes it popular in companion planting ideas as a natural pest-repellent.

We've asked garden experts when to cut rosemary back to bolster growth for the seasons ahead.

When to prune rosemary

Knowing how to propagate rosemary is one thing, but this shouldn't be confused with pruning rosemary, which involves a more thorough cut.

Knowing how to prune rosemary will help maintain the plant's shape and keep the stems from turning spindly or woody so they continue to produce a healthy harvest. We're covering when to cut rosemary back to help you get your timings right.

What you'll need

The best time to cut rosemary back is between late spring and summer – whenever the first flowering has finished. 'This timing allows the plant to recover and grow new shoots before the colder months,' says Kate Turner, gardening guru at Miracle-Gro.

Garden expert and writer Sarah Raven says you should prune rosemary twice a year for best results. 'This will keep the plant dense and compact. Prune your plant straight after flowering, which often occurs in May.'

By August, your rosemary plant can be tidied up again. 'You’ll want to cut all the flowers off first, then prune above any new shoots, being careful not to catch them and stunt future growth,' Sarah adds.

Sarah Raven

Sarah’s love of gardening extends to all areas, from growing cut flowers and delicious vegetables from seed, to designing stunning gardens packed full of variety, colour, and scent. Always with a focus on helping the environment and biodiversity, Sarah’s gardens are havens for birds, bees, and other pollinators.

Her popular gardening podcast ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ has achieved 4.3 million downloads. She’s published 14 books and runs sarahraven.com, which services over 600,000 customers.

Photography © Jonathan Buckley

While these are the best times to give rosemary a thorough pruning, you can also keep on top of trimming throughout the summer. 'Light trimming can be done throughout the growing season to maintain shape and promote bushier growth,' Kate adds.

'Severe pruning is best done in stages, over a couple of years, to prevent shock and ensure the plant’s health.'

Kate Turner

Kate Turner is Miracle-Gro’s expert horticulturalist who has a deep love of all things plants – from vibrant houseplants to stunning gardens and growing fruit and veg, Kate knows all the tips and tricks for successful gardening.

The key to knowing when to cut rosemary back is considering when it is growing. 'Rosemary should only ever be pruned when it is in active growth,' says Annelise Brilli, horticultural expert at Thompson & Morgan. 'Trim it back after flowering in spring, cutting back as far as you can into the softer, pale green growth, but never going into the pale brown, woody stems.'

FAQs

Can you cut rosemary back hard?

While it can be tempting to go hard with rosemary pruning, experts recommend erring on the side of caution.

'Rosemary doesn’t need to be cut back hard,' says Morris Hankinson, founder of Hopes Grove Nurseries. 'In fact, be careful not to cut back too far into old wood. A stem or two shouldn’t hurt the plant, but prune too much and it may not recover well, so light pruning is key to the health of the plant.'

Does rosemary need to be cut back in winter?

When it comes to knowing when to cut rosemary back, it's better to prune sooner rather than later.

'If you prune the rosemary too close to winter, it will put out soft new growth which will get frosted,' says Angela Slater, gardening expert at Hayes Garden World. 'Pruning it at the beginning of summer allows this new growth to harden off before winter.'

So, now you know when to cut rosemary back, you can get the most out of your plants and enjoy them season after season.