Rosemary is one of those herbs you plant with high hopes. It smells heavenly, adds bold flavor to roasted veggies and meats, and looks beautiful in pots or garden beds. But for some reason… it keeps dying.
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. Plenty of gardeners—beginners and pros alike—struggle to keep rosemary alive. The good news? There’s usually one simple reason it’s not thriving, and one even simpler trick to turn things around.
Let’s break it all down.
Common Reasons Your Rosemary Keeps Dying
Before we dive into the fix, it’s important to know what might be going wrong. Rosemary may be tough in the kitchen, but in the garden, it has a few specific needs.
1. Too Much Water
Rosemary is a Mediterranean herb, which means it hates soggy soil. If the roots sit in water too long, they’ll rot. One of the fastest ways to kill rosemary is to love it with too much water.
Signs of overwatering:
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Yellowing or browning leaves
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Soft, mushy stems
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Mildew or mold near the base
