Rosemary loves sun and sandy, not too wet soil. It's very easy to overwater it in pots. Dill needs a lot of light, and gets leggy when it doesn't get enough, but it tolerates water much better. Says something about my indoor watering habits that my inside rosemary has done well, but I've pretty much always managed to kill every pot of dill I have ever been given... :(
-=>epm
Your conditions sound a little like my own in the eastern mid-atlantic US. My rosemary has died two straight years here...I even potted it and brought it in, but the cold weather and damp soil is what I think did it in...I thought damp soil would be fine since it was originally found on the craggy rocks of the mediterranean. Now I know rosemary requires lots of pampering up here in the cold weather; it will stay indoors near the heater.
The dill is another slightly different matter. Both rosemary and dill despise thick, clay-like soils. Dill has done extremely poorly for me in all areas except one spot where I put pure sand mixed with limestone and a VERY small amount of local clayish loam (heavy on the loam side). The area was primarily designed as a lavender haven, but the dill is doing extremely well. I've had dill germination rates of about 90% whereas with normal local dirt its 30% or usually much less. I believe the thin, sandy soil and the powdered lime helped a lot. Who knows, maybe I should throw in a little lime to my potted rosemary...
Dan
Dill and parsley are both in the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). Most, if not all, of the plants in this family have taproots - including, among others, dill, parsley, carrot, angelica, coriander, lovage, osha, sweet cicely, ... If you give them shallow soil they'll die.
Henriette
I believe this. I killed several rosemary plants until I learned that it likes somewhat dry conditions.
I think rosemary is originally from the Mediterranean area, a fairly dry hot climate.
I have one now that's been thriving for about four years: very healthy plant. It goes outdoors in summer, but comes indoors in winter.
Pat
But the Mediterranean climate isn't really wet, but definitely on the dry side: look at pictures of the Greek Islands - not much vegetation there.
Pat
Funny, i couldn't get any of my basil to germinate yet I can't kill my parsley. And half my parsley is in shallow pots (4" & 6" deep). The
4" deep pot was devoured to sticks by four swallowtail butterflys but it has since grown back.You don't really say what is wrong with your plants.
I've read that mediterranean(sp?) herbs prefer dryer conditions. Aromatic herbs supposedly can become better flavored when allowed to endure drier conditions (i.e. dry out between watering) A side note: my friend's a beekeeper and the honey was the tastiest during a big drought year--this may be a common aspect of nature.
With full sun I'd look at soil, water or fertilization. Compacted, dense soils are worse for potted plants. You want the soil to be light and loose when first potting. I don't like clay pots myself. My smaller clay pots require watering twice a day on a hot day. Plastic swings the other way--too easily retains moisture. Despite the worries of root rot, molds, I prefer plastic. Containers also require nutrients more than grounds since they tend to get washed out more often. Natural cycles of decay and earthworms won't replace nutrients, so you got to amend it yourself.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener
Both plants brown and die from the 'ground up'.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.