What is this bush? Smells like rosemary but I’m just not sure if it’s something else

Yep. Rosemary.

Misha said:
Yep. Rosemary.

You can tell by the way it is. That’s pretty neat!

Emory said:

Misha said:
Yep. Rosemary.

You can tell by the way it is. That’s pretty neat!

Yeah, rosemary is pretty identifiable.

But given OP is in California, the California Sagebrush is also a very nice choice to plant as well. The fragrance of it is better than rosemary, in my opinion; it has the colloquial nickname of Cowboy’s cologne because of it.

@Kendall
Hold on, I’m in Arizona! :cactus::thinking:

Yan said:
@Kendall
Hold on, I’m in Arizona! :cactus::thinking:

Haha, my bad! I thought someone said California. If you’re in the market for native plants, there should be some variety of Sonoran/Mojave desert adapted species that have good fragrance.

I’m not sure if it’ll necessarily be the local variety of sagebrush though.

Yan said:
@Kendall
Hold on, I’m in Arizona! :cactus::thinking:

Rosemary bushes are everywhere in AZ, so it’s a safe bet that if it smells like it, that’s what it is. I sometimes pick some rosemary to dry and cook with.

@Kendall
Cool. Can you cook with it?

Emory said:

Misha said:
Yep. Rosemary.

You can tell by the way it is. That’s pretty neat!

How neat is that!

Emory said:

Misha said:
Yep. Rosemary.

You can tell by the way it is. That’s pretty neat!

One of my favorite references that flies under the radar so easily. Thank you!

Emory said:

Misha said:
Yep. Rosemary.

You can tell by the way it is. That’s pretty neat!

Is that a Neature Nugget?

Emory said:

Misha said:
Yep. Rosemary.

You can tell by the way it is. That’s pretty neat!

Sure is, Lenny!

Emory said:

Misha said:
Yep. Rosemary.

You can tell by the way it is. That’s pretty neat!

Not too often you find all this rosemary in one location!

Misha said:
Yep. Rosemary.

Mystery Bush

@Yan
There’s a zero percent chance I don’t rub my hands all over that. :joy:

Ren said:
@Yan
There’s a zero percent chance I don’t rub my hands all over that. :joy:

My parents have a huge rosemary bush and I always grab it with both hands and give it a little shake on the way out. Love the smell all over me for a bit.

@Yan
Great question! If you have a spot in your yard for lavender, the two make an amazing couple. I have rosemary/lavender surrounded by boxwood in my front yard instead of a front lawn, and I love it. The entire front yard is fragrant - and super low water, super low maintenance.

I am in southern So Cal, so that may work for you as well.

@Yan
You might be a bit thrown off because it’s a variety that’s bred for significantly shorter leaves. Can still cook with it as long as you haven’t sprayed it with pesticides, though.

@Yan
When I lived in LA, my condo had rosemary just like that all over the courtyard. I thought it was cool and smelled rather nice.

@Yan
It’s a trailing rosemary. Super popular landscaping plant. It has a great oxygen turnover, is low water/drought tolerant, and low maintenance.