Cumberland Rosemary is a very rare plant known only from several counties in Tennessee and Kentucky where it grows on gravelly river banks which are seasonally flooded then left high and dry in the summer. The plant looks like a semi-prostrate juniper growing about 12 inches tall and spreading several feet. Its leaves are semi-evergreen and look like those of Rosemary. They are wonderfully and strongly scented and can apparently be used the same as Rosemary in cooking. Lavender-blue flowers appear in midsummer. Grow Cumberland Rosemary in well-drained soil or pure sand in full sun. Use it for its fine bristly texture where a low plant is needed. It would be very effective at the edge of a retaining wall where passersby might brush against the foliage releasing its pleasant scent. It is Federally Threatened.

Reply to this comment