A rosemary bush is a wonderful thing to have in the garden. It’s visually lovely with its light gray branches, has a wonderful fragrance when you brush against it to pluck something else, and seems to never come down with any pests or diseases. At the end of the fall my rosemary bush is usually quite big! There’s only one problem: In USDA Hardiness Zones 5 and colder it doesn’t reliably survive the winter. Even where I am in Zone 6 it’s hit-and-miss whether or not it will make it through the winter, especially if it’s a relatively snowless winter. This fall I am taking steps to overwinter rosemary, thanks to some advice I recently picked up from a landscaping professional. I have two options, he said:

Option One: Move It Inside

My first option, he said, is to trim about half of the rosemary bush, dig up the plant if it’s in the ground, and pot it up into a container. Be sure the container has drainage holes, of course, and use good potting soil. We want to plant to go dormant for the winter—we just don’t want it to get too cold. So rather than bring the rosemary plant into the warm house, place the potted rosemary into a protected garage or shed. This will protect it from freezing and moisture-wicking winds and very cold temperatures.

Why not bring it into the house? You can try, but bringing outdoor plants inside is tricky. Often they bring in pests with them and they could infect your houseplants. Also, the because the indoor winter home is heated, it’s an extremely dry environment for your rosemary. Best to give it a rest in the garage.

Option Two: Mulch It Outdoors

My second option—and the one I’m taking since I don’t have a garage or protected shed—is to try to keep right in the ground. My landscaper professional says to cut the branches to about 2 inches above the main stem—so you end up cutting off most of its branches. Cover it thickly with leaf mulch, i.e. those leaves you’ve just raked from the garden. I secured my leaf mulch around my trimmed rosemary by placing a leaf-filled milk crate over top of my trimmed rosemary plant. You could loosely wrap the bush and leaves with burlap, or create some sort of protection using twigs or trellises you’re saving for next year.

Will my attempt to overwinter rosemary work? We’ll see what happens in spring when I lift off the crate. I’ll update you on the “big reveal” when it happens.