Quick Look: Winter Rosemary

This is my first quick look, a short post that I just want to share so that others may benefit from what we do at Third-Acre. 

This is my outdoor rosemary shrub. It's three years old and started as one of those live herb plants you can get in the produce section of many grocery stores. 

For years I've planted rosemary in the garden for culinary use, aesthetic appearance, and pest control, but I've always grown it as an annual. Here in Michigan, it dies in the winter; I thought that was the norm. Then I took a trip down south where it is planted as perennial hedges and border shrubs. 

I found out that it isn't necessarily the cold that kills it, but the snow blocking out the sun. Here's my method of overwintering it outdoors.

First I drop the pot into my window well.

This keeps it close to the house where it can benefit from less intense temperature shifts and harsh winds.

Then I place an egress cover over it.

Boom! Instant personal greenhouse! Now it gets a bit of sun all winter and the snow won't crush it!

If you have it planted in the ground, grab two of these well covers and connect them back to back for a similar effect!