Salvia rosmarinus (Creeping Rosemary)

Creeping rosemary is the prostrate, spreading form of the same culinary herb that grows on the windowsill, but instead of an upright shrub it forms a low, trailing mound with stems that cascade over walls, spill down slopes, or drape over the edge of a raised bed. The foliage is the same narrow, resinous needle it's always been, releasing that unmistakable piney-herbal scent whenever brushed. In late winter through spring, the stems stud themselves with tiny flowers in periwinkle blue, a welcome early color when not much else is happening.

The culinary performance is identical to upright rosemary. Strip the leaves for roasting potatoes and root vegetables, infuse them into olive oil, tuck sprigs under chicken skin before it goes in the oven, or steep them into simple syrup for cocktails and lemonade. The flavor is assertive and resinous, with a warmth that stands up to long cooking. Younger stem tips are most tender and aromatic.

Rosemary is more sensitive to wet, cold soil than to frost itself, so plant on a slope or in a raised bed where drainage is excellent.