6 Best Christmas Rosemary Trees For Small Spaces You Can Plant in Spring

Thinking about Christmas in the middle of spring might seem strange, but it’s the secret to the best holiday decorations. A living rosemary tree, shaped by your own hands, beats a store-bought one every time. By starting now, you give the plant the entire growing season to become strong, full, and ready for its moment in the spotlight.

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Why Plant Rosemary for Christmas in Spring?

Planting a young rosemary in spring gives it the one thing it needs most: time. A full season in the sun allows the plant to establish a deep, robust root system before the stresses of winter and indoor life arrive. A plant with strong roots is a plant that can handle being shaped, moved, and even a little neglect. It’s the foundation for a healthy, vibrant holiday centerpiece.

Trying to force a small, recently-rooted cutting into a tree shape in November is a recipe for a sad, brown plant by New Year’s. Those pre-shaped trees you see in stores are often stressed and living on borrowed time. By growing your own from spring, you’re not just buying a decoration; you’re cultivating a resilient, long-lasting plant that also happens to be a source of fresh herbs for your kitchen. This is about working with the plant’s natural cycle, not against it.

‘Tuscan Blue’ Rosemary: The Classic Upright Choice

If you picture a classic Christmas tree, ‘Tuscan Blue’ is the rosemary that comes to mind. Its growth habit is naturally and reliably upright. The stems are sturdy, and the foliage is a beautiful deep green, providing a perfect backdrop for its vibrant blue flowers in the spring. This structure makes it incredibly easy to prune into a tight, conical shape.

‘Tuscan Blue’ is a vigorous grower, so a small plant in spring can easily become a respectable tabletop tree by December. Keep in mind, it’s a Mediterranean native and prefers life on the warmer side, hardy to about Zone 8. For those of us in colder climates, this makes it an ideal candidate for a pot that can be brought indoors for the winter, serving its holiday duty before returning outside next spring.

‘Arp’ Rosemary: A Hardy, Pine-Scented Variety

For anyone farming in a region with real winters, ‘Arp’ is your answer. This variety is a standout for its cold tolerance, reliably surviving down to Zone 6 when planted in a protected spot. Its resilience makes it a fantastic long-term investment for your herb garden after the holidays are over.

The foliage of ‘Arp’ is a slightly lighter, grayer-green than ‘Tuscan Blue’, and its scent has a distinct pine-like note that is perfect for Christmas. The trade-off for this hardiness is a slightly more open, less dense growth habit. You’ll need to be a bit more diligent with your pruning throughout the summer to encourage a full, compact tree shape, but the reward of a plant that can actually survive your winter is well worth the effort.

‘Spice Island’ Rosemary: Dense and Aromatic

‘Spice Island’ is all about the fragrance. This cultivar is known for its exceptionally high oil content, which translates to a powerful, classic rosemary aroma that can fill a small room. If your primary goal is to have a festive, aromatic accent, this is the one to plant. Its scent is released with the slightest touch.

Its growth habit is a gift for shaping. ‘Spice Island’ is naturally dense and upright, with leaves packed tightly along the stems. This fullness means it requires less work to achieve a lush, well-filled-out tree shape. It’s also a top-tier culinary variety, so every snip you take to shape your tree provides some of the most flavorful rosemary you can grow.

‘Gorizia’ Rosemary: Unique, Light Green Foliage

If you want a rosemary tree that stands out from the crowd, look for ‘Gorizia’. Its most striking feature is its foliage. The leaves are much longer, wider, and a brighter shade of green than typical rosemary, giving it a unique and elegant appearance. The stems are thick and grow in a very upright, architectural way.

This sturdy structure is perfect for a miniature Christmas tree, as the branches can easily support small, lightweight ornaments without drooping. ‘Gorizia’ also has a milder, slightly gingery aroma that is pleasant without being overpowering. It’s a fantastic choice for a modern, distinctive holiday plant that doesn’t look like everyone else’s.

‘Blue Boy’ Rosemary: The Perfect Dwarf Cultivar

Not every space can handle a foot-tall plant. For truly small spaces—a desk corner, a kitchen windowsill, or even as a living place setting for a holiday dinner—’Blue Boy’ is the perfect fit. This is a true dwarf variety that stays compact and manageable its whole life.

‘Blue Boy’ grows in a slow, mounded form that is incredibly easy to prune into a tiny cone. You won’t get a large tree from it, but that’s not the point. Its value is in its scale. Starting this tiny cultivar in spring ensures it’s well-established and perfectly shaped for its miniature role come winter, providing that festive touch in the smallest of nooks.

‘Hill Hardy’ Rosemary for Colder Climates

Alongside ‘Arp’, ‘Hill Hardy’ is another reliable choice for those of us who need our plants to be tough. As the name suggests, it was bred for resilience and can handle colder temperatures better than most Mediterranean varieties. It’s a practical, no-fuss plant that prioritizes survival.

‘Hill Hardy’ has fine-textured, dark green needles and a robust, though sometimes sprawling, growth habit. Like ‘Arp’, it may require a bit more attention with the pruning shears to maintain a tight, conical form. But what you get in return is a plant that has a strong chance of becoming a permanent, productive member of your garden long after the tinsel comes down.

Pruning Your Rosemary into a Festive Tree Shape

Shaping your rosemary tree isn’t a one-day job; it’s a gentle process that starts in early summer. Once your spring-planted rosemary has put on a few inches of vigorous new growth, you can begin. The key is to prune lightly and frequently, rather than making one drastic cut.

Start by identifying a strong, straight central stem to be the "leader" or top of your tree. Then, using clean, sharp snips, begin trimming the side branches to encourage a conical shape. Never take more than a third of the plant’s total growth at one time. Each cut you make will encourage the plant to branch out, creating the dense foliage you want. And the best part? Every trim provides you with a handful of fresh, aromatic rosemary for your kitchen.

By choosing the right variety in spring and giving it a little attention through the growing season, you create more than a decoration. You cultivate a living, fragrant part of your holiday that connects you to your garden, even in the dead of winter. It’s a small project with a big payoff in both beauty and flavor.