Rosemary For Remembrance

The Bronze Frog Gallery

"There's Rosemary for you, that's for remembrance!

Pray you, love, remember."

William Shakespeare (Ophelia in 'Hamlet')

Herbs and flowers have a language all their own.  

Did you know that rosemary has long been associated with remembrance?  Me either!

Its just another reason why rosemary is one of my favorite herbs!

I love its heady pine scent, as well as its delicate little needles.

Not to mention its wonderful culinary uses.  How can you have lamb without rosemary?

Rosemary is related to the mint family.  Hard to believe as they have entirely different scents.
It thrives in a Mediterranean climate and has been nicknamed "dew of the sea."
Legend has it that the Virgin Mary spread her cloak over a white blossomed bush and when she awoke, the flowers had turned blue.  And so the shrub became known as the "Rose of Mary."

Rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies in the Middle Ages.

The bride wore a garland in her hair to remember her vows.  

Newlyweds would plant a rosemary branch on their wedding day.  If the branch grew, it was a good omen for their marriage.

Rosemary thrives in Asti. 

 I planted it everywhere and treat it like a shrub, letting it grow with abandon.

I guess that's a good omen for us?

I even planted the trailing type around the spa.  It makes a great ground cover--so much that it had to be cut back.  It was creeping into the water at one time!

It makes for a very therapeutic spa experience, smelling the medicinal-like scent while soaking away those aches and pains!

 It is truly a delight to the senses!

Sir Thomas More summed it up:

"As for rosemary, I let it run all over my garden walls,

not only because my bees love it, but because it is the herb

sacred to remembrance and to friendship..."

How does your rosemary grow?