Why plant Rosemary at the Garden Gate [Myths & Reality]

If you’ve read any of my other articles about growing rosemary, then you’ll see that I talk a lot about where to plant rosemary. What you haven’t heard from me is whether it’s a good idea to plant your rosemary by your garden gate. Is this a good idea? Many gardeners have heard that planting rosemary by their garden gate is a good way of warding off pests. But is this true, or is it just a myth?  So today I’m going to cover the answers as to why you shoul plant rosemary by your garden gate.  And I’ll separate the myths from the realities.  I’ll cover if it makes any difference, and the best spots to plant rosemary.

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What is Rosemary?

Rosemary is a beneficial herb that you can grow either indoors or outdoors. Depending on which variety you choose, your rosemary can grow up to 2 meters tall and wide. Rosemary can be grown in pots, or directly in the soil in your garden.  Rosemary, is I think, a beautiful plant with rich green needle-like leaves. In the spring, subtly-coloured flowers bloom.  I love brushing past the Rosemary plants in the garden, rubbing the pine-like needles between my fingers and inhaling.

The Rosemary plant is native to the Mediterranean regions of southern Europe and parts of Asia. It prefers warmer temperatures, moderate humidity, and soil that drains easily. Many people love to grow rosemary because it looks beautiful, is great for cooking, and can (allegedly) help with minor aches and pains.

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Why plant Rosemary at your Garden Gate

So, is it really a good idea to plant rosemary by your garden gate, or is it a myth?

It’s true!  It is a good idea.

But for what reason? Why do you plant rosemary by your garden gate? 

Plant Rosemary at the Garden Gate to deter pests

The first reason to plant rosemary at the garden gate is that doing so will help protect your other plants.

Rosemary has a very strong aroma that can confuse pests and will deter them from eating other plants in your garden. There are two ways this works.

Because the aroma of the Rosemary plant is so strong and unappealing to pests, pests are deterred from going after your other plants. The aroma can also confuse the pests. They smell the strong scent of rosemary and don’t realize that there are other plants in the area, as the smell of rosemary overpowers the smell of other plants.

Rosemary’s pest-deterring abilities are one reason why people like to use rosemary as hedge shrubs. It creates a protective “fence” around the garden, deterring pests from entering.

Plant Rosemary at the Garden Gate to attract Pollinators

Another reason why it’s good to have rosemary at the entrance to your garden is because of pollinators. While pests don’t like rosemary’s scent, pollinators do. Bees, birds, and insects that like nectar will flock to your garden while your rosemary is in bloom. Obviously, this is a good thing because your garden will benefit from being pollinated.

If you have a garden that is somewhat closed off, planting rosemary by the garden gate is the best option. Being close to the entrance of the garden allows the pollinators to easily locate the rosemary so that it can pollinate your whole garden.

This method works similarly with other strong-smelling plants. The more aromas you have wafting through your garden, the harder it will be for pests to locate and destroy specific crops.

Does Planting Rosemary at the Gate work?

Planting Rosemary by your garden gate does work. But, should you always plant rosemary by the garden gate?

How well this works really depends on how your garden is laid out. Planting rosemary by your garden gate will always be advantageous. However, it’s logical that pests have easy access to your garden from other locations, so it might not work as well as you’d think.

For example, if your garden is mostly surrounded by walls, planting rosemary by the entrance is likely to help a lot. But, if your garden is an open-air garden surrounded by fences, rosemary might not be as effective. The pests can simply enter the garden from anywhere else!

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Still, having rosemary at the front entrance or anywhere in your garden will be advantageous. It still stands that rosemary has a very strong scent that is unpleasant and confusing to pests. If you keep rosemary in your garden, pests can become confused and not know where to locate their preferred “dinners.”

Where should you Plant Rosemary in your Garden?

Rosemary is an easy plant to take care of and grow. It doesn’t require much care and attention, although it does have its preferences for optimum growth.

In short, the most important thing for rosemary is the sun. Rosemary needs 6-8 hours of full sun every day. It can tolerate a bit of shade, but really needs a lot of sun to thrive.

Rosemary doesn’t need a lot of water and will begin to rot if it gets too much water. Make sure to plant it in well-draining compost or soil, and only water again it once its soil has completely dried out.

If you plan to plant rosemary with other herbs or plants, make sure they’re spaced at least 60-90 centimetres apart.

What Plants are good to plant with Rosemary?

Whenever you’re considering adding more herbs, vegetables and other plants to your garden, you should make sure that they’re compatible with your other plants. Some plants work very well together and even help each other.  Companion planting is nothing new and there are some great companion plants for Rosemary.

Other plants compete with the resources available and each other and may cause their neighbours to wither and die. For example, tomato plants are not a good idea to plant with rosemary. Rosemary will suck all the nutrients from your tomatoes until they die off.

Rosemary acts as a companion plant for the following plants and helps them to grow. Some things a companion plant can help with are:

• Attracting pollinators
• Detering pests
• Encouraging growth
• Acting as ground cover to deter weeds
• Providing nutrients to the soil

So, which plants work best with rosemary? Here are some of our favourite Rosemary companion plants.

• Thyme: this herb protects its fellow plants from the cabbage worm. It is also a sweet-smelling herb like rosemary itself which acts to deter pests and attract pollinators.
• Chives: this herb protects its fellow plants from aphids and pests that are white and tiny. They also encourage the growth of other plants and attract pollinators.
• Lavender: this herb is a very strong-smelling plant just like rosemary. They help to deter rabbits and deer when planted together.
• Beans: these are a good vegetable to plant with rosemary because it needs lots of warmth and little fertilization. Rosemary also protects beans from beetles that like to eat bean leaves. Also, because beans grow bushy above and below ground, they prevent weeds from sprouting.
• Broccoli: rosemary is good to grow with broccoli because it protects the broccoli from cabbage moths.
• Carrots: rosemary helps protect carrots from carrot flies. (our guide to growing carrots is here)
• Sage: this is a good herb to grow with rosemary because it enhances its flavour. They both require very similar growing conditions and enhance each other’s growth. My guide to growing sage is here.
• Parsnips: rosemary helps protect parsnips from carrot flies.
• Marjoram: this is a great plant to grow with rosemary because it enhances flavour and promotes growth. It also produces large flowers that attract pollinators.
• Oregano: both herbs require similar growing conditions and encourage each other to grow. Most rosemary grows taller while oregano creeps along the ground. So, they don’t get in the way of each other’s growth.
• Marigold: these two plants don’t necessarily benefit one another. But, they have almost identical growing requirements, so they do well planted together.
• Cauliflower: this is a great plant to keep with rosemary because it’s full of nutrients. It helps rosemary to grow better than it would alone.
• Onions: onions protect rosemary from bugs while rosemary protects onions from insects. (read about growing onions here)
• Chillies: rosemary brings out the flavour of the chilli peppers. (get started growing chillies here)
• Strawberries: although the benefits are not well known, the two plants do well together.  Want to grow strawberries?  Here’s my guide to that.

Although there are a lot of plants that work well with rosemary, there are also plants that should not be together.

What should you NOT plant with Rosemary?

You shouldn’t grow Rosemary with the following herbs and vegetables as it’s detrimental to the health of both.

• Tomatoes (my tomato growing secrets)
• Potatoes (read about growing potatoes)
• Pumpkins
• Mint (easily grow mint from cuttings with my guide)

Final Words on Planting Rosemary at the Garden Gate

So the verdict is in. It is advantageous to plant rosemary by your garden gate. However, how effective this layout is will depend on how your garden is set up. If your garden doesn’t have walls or solid fences, it might be more beneficial to spread multiple rosemary plants around the outside of your garden. Rosemary is great for protecting other plants because of its strong smell. While the scent is pleasant to us and good pollinators, it’s unpleasant to the pests that like to destroy your garden. If you’re looking for a nice-looking, sweet-smelling, pest-repelling herb…rosemary could be right for you.

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