Hardiness zones:
Sunset 4-24
USDA 8 (treat as summer annual in cooler zones)-11 (best in semi arid Mediterranean climates) 

Landscape Use: ground cover, rock garden, elevated planters, accent, herb garden, border, informal hedge

Form & Character: Evergreen shrub, forms depends on variety ranging from rigid and upright to graceful, cascading, spreading and prostrate

Growth Habit: Slow to moderately fast from 2' to 8' high depending on cultivar and soil conditions, watering, fertility, etc. Prostrate forms spread quickly.

Foliage/texture: Sessile (no petiole), viscid (sticky), linear leaves to 1/2" on a sticky stem, dark green above, white pubescent below, medium fine texture

Flowers & fruits: Small, axillary, light blue flowers borne in massed clusters

Seasonal color: Blue flowers in late winter

Temperature: As a Mediterranean plant that is biologically active when the weather is seasonally cool, rosemary looks much better during winter, and struggles during July - September during the high summer desert heat without some protection.

Light: Full sun

Soil: Rosemary must have well drained soil, especially in desert regions during summer. Rosemary is generally a poor performer in heavy, flat, poorly drained clay soils and grows best in sandy to loam soils.

Watering: Only infrequent deep irrigations required, much irrigation causes rank growth. Be careful when irrigating during the hot summer months (rosemary will need it) as in a poorly drained desert soil, it often succumbs to root rot pathogens.

Pruning: Depends on use. Prune prostrate forms from underneath removing deadwood.

Propagation: Cuttings in a relatively dry propagation mix

Disease and pests: Spittle bug (looks like spit on a stick) infects succulent stems of plants in spring if the plants are located in spots that recieve modest amounts of shade (causing spindly growth). Root rot if soil poorly drained!

Additional comments: Upright and prostrate forms are used as an herb. There are several low growing cultivars: 'Prostratus' is prostrate cultivar to 8' wide by 2' to 3' tall. `Irene' on the other hand is a new cultivar introduced in 1996 in central California and is reported to be only 12-24" tall, great as edging plant where 'Prostratus' might get too large. In any case, for use as a ground cover, plant prostrate cultivars at 18" to 36" on center. Note: This plant strongly attracts bees when in bloom!

What is rosemary? It is said that rosemary got its name from the Virgin Mary. Rosemary is also an old French term for incense. Because Rosemary was easily harvested from the wild in ancient Mediterranean cultures (think ancient Romans and Greeks), it was an incense used by the poor or lower classes as a substitute for expensive frankincense or myrrh-based incense of the rich folks.