Mudflower: Blue vs Pink Rosemary: Which One Is Better for Your Garden?

Saturday, 11 July 2026

Blue vs Pink Rosemary: Which One Is Better for Your Garden?

I have grown several rosemary plants over the years, but two have really stood out to me. Both are unnamed varieties that I originally planted simply as rosemary, yet after growing them side by side for several years I noticed some interesting differences.

The blue-flowering rosemary has become a large, vigorous shrub that provides shade, attracts pollinators, and produces more rosemary than I can use. The pink-flowering rosemary stays much smaller and more compact, making it a better choice where space is limited.

This isn't a comparison of named commercial cultivars. Instead, it's a practical comparison based on growing these two rosemary plants side by side in my own garden over the past few years.

Which rosemary is better - Quick Answer

If you're choosing between the two, I'd grow the blue rosemary for production and the pink rosemary where space or appearance matters more. Both taste almost identical.

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Two unnamed varieties of rosemary: comparing blue vs pink

Comparison of blue and pink rosemary varieties

The Large Blue Flowered Rosemary

My blue flowered rosemary is the larger and more vigorous of the two plants. Blue rosemary is commonly grown in gardens, there are plenty of varieties to choose from.

Mine has now grown to over 6 feet (~1.8 metres) tall and has become one of the largest shrubs in my edible garden. This plant is a permanent feature beside my chicken run. I planted it on the western side where it provides some afternoon shade and protection.

One of my favourite things about this rosemary is how much it flowers. It produces masses of blue flowers. One thing I notice every time it flowers is how quickly bees and other beneficial insects find it. On warm sunny days the flowers are often covered with pollinators.

If you are growing rosemary as a large shrub, a good pair of pruning shears makes maintenance much easier, it also makes harvest simple.

I use these pruning shears, I have smaller hands and find they fit me better than many of the larger styles I have tried. For me, they are much more comfortable to use when trimming and harvesting herbs. As this rosemary grows thick woody stems, pruning shears make harvest simple.

The leaves of my blue rosemary have a strong rosemary aroma and flavour. Compared with my pink flowering rosemary, I think the aroma is slightly stronger, although if I wasn't growing them side by side I'm not sure I'd notice the difference.

The Pretty Pink Flowered Rosemary

I wrote previously about my pink flowered rosemary, which has a very different growth habit. This is a rarer rosemary variety.

Rather than becoming a huge shrub, this plant has stayed shorter and more compact. It is less vigorous, but the flowers are beautiful and make it a very attractive garden plant.

I think this rosemary would suit smaller gardens, balconies, or growing in pots where a large spreading shrub would become difficult to manage.

Pink Rosemary vs Blue Rosemary

Can You Eat Pink Rosemary?

Yes. My pink flowering rosemary tastes almost identical to the blue flowering plant. Although I think the blue variety may have a slightly stronger aroma, the difference is subtle. Both are excellent culinary herbs, and I use them interchangeably in cooking.

Blue vs Pink Rosemary Comparison

Feature	Blue Flowered Rosemary	Pink Flowered Rosemary
Growth habit	Large, vigorous shrub	Smaller and more compact
Size	Over 6 feet tall	Much shorter
Flowers	Lots of blue flowers	Pretty pink flowers
Pollinators	Excellent, many flowers	Good, but fewer flowers
Best use	Large gardens, hedges, shade planting	Pots and smaller spaces
Flavour	Very similar, possibly slightly stronger	Very similar

If you're growing rosemary in containers, I prefer reasonably large terracotta-style pots because rosemary dislikes sitting in wet soil.

Rosemary comparison

What About Prostrate Rosemary?

This comparison does not include prostrate rosemary, which is another common type of rosemary with a completely different growth habit.

Prostrate rosemary grows along the ground rather than forming an upright shrub, making it useful for rockeries, retaining walls, and ground cover.

I grow this too, but it mostly gets lost among my other plants and the upright versions are the ones we mostly use for cooking. For spilling over retaining walls, my go to plant is Jekka's thyme.

For this comparison I am only looking at upright rosemary plants.

Do Bees Prefer Blue or Pink Rosemary?

I tend to see honey bees on all my rosemary plants. The blue variety has more flowers, so tends to have more bees. As the pink rosemary grows larger, and flowers more, I am expecting it to attract similar amounts of pollinators.

Rosemary attracts beneficial insects and is great in a permaculture garden

Rosemary attracts many beneficial pollinators

Which Rosemary Would I Grow?

After growing both, I have no plans to remove either one. They fill different roles in my garden, and that's exactly why I like having both.

The large blue flowered rosemary is incredibly useful. It provides height, shade, flowers for pollinators, and plenty of rosemary for cooking. I grow this on the western side of my chicken run to provide afternoon shade.

The pink flowered rosemary is less productive as a large shrub, but it earns its place because it is attractive and easier to fit into a smaller space. This variety still produces enough rosemary for cooking. I am also growing this near the chicken run for shade, but have it in a place where I want something shorter.

If I only had room for one rosemary plant, I would choose based on the space available rather than flavour.

For a large garden, the vigorous blue flowering type wins. For a pot or small garden or if I wanted something more unique, the prettier pink flowering rosemary is probably the better choice.

I grow both of these rosemary plants in my own garden, as well as an unnamed prostrate rosemary. I currently sell the vigorous blue flowered rosemary, and plan to offer the pink flowered type in the future as I build up stock. My current plants for sale can be found on my plant sale page.