ROSEMARY THYMES | 15
while waiting for Tropical Storm/ Hurricane Barry to saunter up the coast. No, I’m not at the beach. I wish I were, but family ties and a ridiculous work schedule keep us away. At least, writing for Rosemary Thymes keeps me there mentally.
ZONE 3 - Areas with Medium Exposure - area level with the tennis courts
“I been in the right place but it musta been the wrong time.”
Basically, the closer to the coast, the more salt tolerant the plants need to be. The further from walkovers, the more plants can be added to your plant list.
While waiting for the inevitable storm induced power outage, I peruse my landscape books and magazines in preparation for the fall gardening season. I don’t know what you do in times of stress, but while I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, I veg with my favorite horticultural tomes. It’s like Tai Chi for my brain. During this trying time, I happened to come upon the Rosemary Beach Code Book, in particular the “Landscape Regulations” section. Yeah, I have too much time on my hands right now and, okay, I was asked to work that into the article for this quarter, but it does work. Those few pages of plant lists in the Code Book really were my landscape bible back then. It made so much sense. The first page gives you reasons and insights for planting all native plants or almost all natives (70 percent) within enclosed spaces. I’m all about using native plants. But the question is: what natives will survive when planted in Rosemary Beach? Actually, Rosemary Beach is divided into four vegetative zones: ZONE 1 - Areas Exposed to Direct Salt Spray - area closest to the beach umbrellas ZONE 2 - Areas Exposed to Salt Drift - area in the vicinity of the Sugar Shack
ZONE 4 - Areas with Lowered Salt Drift Exposure - area in line with the Sky Pool and the Cabana Pool.
One plant stands out from our early days at Rosemary Beach. Coastal rosemary, Conradina canescens, is the namesake of my favorite beach town. What first caught my eye and nose was the fuzzy blue-grey green foliage with a light minty smell. Way back when, it was found all along the Rosemary Beach boardwalks in the areas not yet developed. As a plant that can hold its own against the salt, it‘s designated as a Zone 1 plant and therefore works well throughout the area. Coastal rosemary is found naturally along the western Florida Panhandle reaching heights of three to four feet and at least as wide. The pale lavender flowers can appear anytime spring to frost but late spring seems to be the height of the blooming season and the pollinators love it. It’s always a plus when the bees are happy. As a perennial, it plays well with other wildflowers. A few suggestions for companion plants are as follows: Gulf Coast Lupine, Lupinus westianus from Zone 1 Blanket Flower, Gaillardia pulchella from Zone 2 Gaura, Gaura angustifolia and Blazing Star, Liatris graminifolia from Zone 3
Coastal rosemary, Conradina canescens, boasts a fuzzy blue-grey green foliage with a light minty smell.
Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium spp. from Zone 4 Is it edible? Can one cook with it? Google says yes. I’m not sure I would try it since there are so many great culinary varieties on hand such as ‘Salem,’ ‘Tuscan Blue’ and the current variety in my garden, ‘Spice Island.’ If you are so brave to experiment with the native species, let me know if you survive unscathed. You can find coastal rosemary in some nurseries, but the best way to grow it, is to not disturb it in the first place. Unfortunately, coastal rosemary likes the same thing we do: beach umbrellas and dry coastal sand. Well, maybe not the umbrella part, but it does need sandy soil. If found
in your garden, leave it in place. If not, plant in a sunny, sandy, well drained spot. That said, it does need to be watered in the beginning. Once established, it’s a great low-maintenance xeriscape plant. My goal is to make my way back to Rosemary Beach very soon and on a much more regular basis. I just may be that person walking past you on the beach, standing next to you at the Sugar Shack or maybe stepping in front of you to smell the coastal rosemary. I been in the right place and it musta been the right time. Thank you, Dr. John.