Yeah, I've had similar experiences with sand and clay soil—ended up with something closer to brickwork than gardening soil. If drainage is a persistent issue, have you considered mixing in organic matter like compost or leaf mold instead? I found that it gradually improves soil texture without the pottery effect. Curious though, did your rosemary bounce back fully after the wheelbarrow incident or is it still looking a bit traumatized...?
I've been down that pottery road myself, haha... compost does wonders, but honestly, patience is key. Rosemary's pretty hardy though—it'll probably surprise you and bounce right back in no time. Mine survived worse!
"Rosemary's pretty hardy though—it'll probably surprise you and bounce right back in no time."
Haha, true! I once accidentally buried mine under a pile of bricks during a patio renovation... thought it was a goner for sure. But nope, it popped right back up like nothing happened. Tough little plant.
Rosemary definitely has a reputation for being tough, but honestly, I've had mixed luck with mine. Maybe it's just my garden or the soil here, but I've found rosemary can be a bit picky about drainage. A couple years back, I planted one in a spot that seemed perfect—sunny, sheltered—but after a heavy rainstorm, it just never recovered. Turns out the soil was holding way too much moisture. If anyone else runs into trouble with rosemary not bouncing back as expected, I'd suggest checking your drainage first. You might need to mix in some sand or gravel to help things along. Once I did that, my next rosemary plant thrived beautifully...lesson learned the hard way, haha.
Totally agree about rosemary being picky with drainage. Had a similar experience myself—thought I'd nailed it by planting mine in a raised bed, but turns out the soil mix was still too heavy. After losing two plants, I finally tried mixing in perlite along with sand, and that did the trick. Now it's thriving and smells amazing whenever I brush past it. Sometimes gardening feels like trial and error more than anything else...but hey, that's half the fun, right?
