Rosemary: when and how to prune

Salvia rosmarinus

Prune rosemary after flowering, in May–June: cut the year’s growth back by about a third, but never into the bare old wood, as it won’t regrow from there.

Rosemary is an evergreen, woody herb from the Mediterranean. If you never prune it, it goes bare at the base, flops open and only keeps young leaves at the tips. A short trim every year after flowering keeps it compact and full. The golden rule: always cut into green, leafy wood. Bare grey branches no longer produce new shoots.

Updated on 10 October 2026

Key facts
Pruning months	May–June
Flowering	March–May
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees
Native to Belgium	No, planted

Rosemary: when to prune it?

Prune after flowering, in May–June. The plant is then in full growth, and the new shoots have the whole summer to harden off before winter.

After a severe winter, wait until May, when you can see where it is sprouting again. Then cut out the frost-killed wood, together with the usual pruning.

Don’t prune in autumn: the young shoots that follow will be frosted in winter. You can pick sprigs for the kitchen all year round, a little more sparingly in winter.

What else to prune in those months? May · June

Rosemary: how to prune it?

Use sharp, clean secateurs, and always cut just above a pair of leaves.
Cut the shoots of the past year back by about a third. Always stay in the green, leafy part: it won’t regrow from bare old wood.
Trim a young plant lightly each time for the first few years: it will branch well and become a full, rounded shrub.
Remove dead, weak and crossing twigs, and branches that lie on the ground or hang over a path. Trim prostrate varieties the same way.
Clip a low hedge or edging into shape after flowering, like a lavender edging: short and regularly, never into the old wood.
An old, bare plant can’t be made young again. In July–August, take cuttings from non-flowering shoots and replace it with a new plant after a year.

How much to cut, and how often?

Once a year, after flowering: cut the year’s growth back by a third. No more is needed.
Better a little every year than a lot every few years: that way there is always enough green wood to regrow from.
What you harvest for the kitchen counts too: pick from all over the plant, and harvesting becomes a light trim.

What does it mean for wildlife?

Rosemary flowers as early as March–May, and often again in autumn: an early source of nectar and pollen for honeybees, bumblebees and wild bees. That is why you only prune after flowering.
Pruning in May–June falls in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Birds rarely nest in rosemary, but in a large, dense shrub against a wall it can happen: take a look before you cut, as disturbing an active nest is against the law.
The rosemary beetle, a small metallic beetle striped green and purple, also eats lavender, sage and thyme. Shake it off over a newspaper instead of spraying: pesticides also harm the bees on the flowers.
Don’t throw away the fragrant prunings: dry them for the kitchen, or put them on the compost heap. Together with lavender, thyme and sage, rosemary turns a dry, sunny corner into a place where bees find something from spring into summer.

Common mistakes

Cutting back into the bare old wood, which won’t regrow.
Pruning in autumn, so the young shoots are frosted in winter.
Never pruning, until the plant goes bare at the base and flops open.
After a severe winter, cutting off everything brown too early, instead of waiting until May.

Caution: Fairly frost-tolerant, but dislikes wet feet in winter.

Nearby: related pruning guides

Plant profile: Rosemary · Pruning calendar and basic rules