It was getting dark and I heard bees and finally went to check out what they were doing.   I wondered why they weren't going into the flowers and flying around, until I saw that the GOOD STUFF was on the red stamens far away from the flower.

Never noticed that before!

Here's a video by a Santa Barbara organic nursery with a lot more specifics and he also propagates thyme:

For me the video ended about half way through, not sure why it keeps going without sound, but I think it says all we need to know!

I have propagated rosemary in my little greenhouse in flats and quite few rooted.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Rosemary-Oil

I wish they mentioned a temperature setting.  Recently got the Magical Butter gadget and it's so much easier than standing by the stove, having to stir and make sure it doesn't get to hot.   And of course it's much faster than having the herbs sit in a jar for weeks, although we'll do that again too once it warms up.

In some salves we added bees wax pellets (and other ingredients) so it won't be liquid in summer, but over the winter we just used coconut oil.    I recently got a 5 gallon bucket of REFINED organic coconut oil from Azure (almost half price of unrefined oil) and while I prefer UNREFINED for cooking, refined is better for oils as there's less "stuff" in it to mold and it'll last longer.

Here is Dr. Mercola's info on rosemary health benefits:

http://foodfacts.mercola.com/r.....emary.html

...

Studies Done on Rosemary

Scientists tested 144 healthy volunteers (who were deceived regarding the purpose of the study) to assess the olfactory impact of the essential oils of lavender, rosemary, and no odor (control) on cognitive performance and mood.

The randomly assigned subjects were given visual analogue mood questionnaires both prior to and following exposure to the odor. Rosemary produced a significant enhancement of performance for overall quality of memory and secondary memory factors, but also produced an impairment of speed of memory compared to control.

The control and lavender groups were significantly less alert than the rosemary group, but the control group was significantly less content than the rosemary and lavender conditions. The findings indicated that the fragrance of these essential oils can produce objective effects on cognitive performance and mood.¹

A placebo-controlled, dose-increased clinical study was conducted on dried rosemary leaf powder due to its traditional reputation of reducing cognitive decline in the elderly. The lowest dose of rosemary (750 ml) had a statistically significant beneficial effect compared with placebo, whereas the highest dose (6,000 mg) had a significant impairing effect, as well as significant deleterious (less consistent) effects on other measures of cognitive performance.

Speed of memory is a potentially useful predictor of cognitive function during aging. The positive effect of the dose nearest normal culinary consumption was determined to indicate the value of further study of low dose/longer term testing of rosemary.²

As recent studies have shown rosemary to have chemopreventive and therapeutic properties, one study evaluated the anti-proliferation activity of rosemary extract against human ovarian cancer cells, and whether its three main active ingredients carnosol, carnosic acid, and rosmarinic acid can enhance the antiproliferation activity of cisplatin (which can cause serious side effects, such as hearing loss, kidney problems, and severe allergic reactions).³ The study showed that rosemary extract inhibited the proliferation of ovarian cancer cell lines.4

...

"Cognitive decline" is definitely a big issue around here.  

Rosemary is also great for HAIR:

https://wellnessmama.com/5193/rosemary-leaf-herb-profile/

What a wonderful herb and it grows like a weed with no care in native soil in the high desert!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/.....f/go/2120/

Pictures and descriptions of Mexican and Red Bird of Paridise:
http://wateruseitwisely.com/ca.....-paradise/

Coyote Melon may be recognized by its rough, stiff-haired stems and large, palmate shaped leaves sprawling over sandy areas or climbing via tendrils into surrounding vegetation. It may also be easily distinguished by its three-inch, dull green, spheroid gourds with pale yellow vertical stripes. As the gourds mature they become straw colored.

The pulp within the fruit is unpalatable, but was utilized by native people and during the depression, for soap. Clothing laundered with the soap reportedly helps to repel body lice.

The seeds are edible, unlike the pulp, and contain value as a source of protein (31%), and cooking oil (30%). The dried gourds have been used as rattles and containers. After the plant has gone to fruit, the stems dry up and wither away, later to re-sprout from the tuberous root once sufficient rains return.

From Irvine Ranch Conservancy: 

In addition to being a tasty bite for coyotes, there are a few theories on how the plant acquired the common name of “coyote melon.” One story is that coyotes wanted to keep the sweet fruit for themselves, so they would urinate on the plants to keep other animals away. Another story is that the leaves of the plant look like coyote ears, and the yellow ripened gourds look like coyote’s glowing eyes. Some say that since the flesh of the melon is sweet and the center toxic, that the fruit is tricky, like a coyote.

The flowers are similar to those of pumpkins, squashes and other members of the cucumber family, but the foul odor and extremely bitter taste of the coyote melon makes it inedible to humans. However, as the other common name implies, animals such as the coyote do eat the plant’s melons.

Although the flowers are said to have a sweet, pleasant smell, the leaves are what gives the “stink” to this gourd. The leaves have a strong, unusually repulsive smell, often described as similar to that of human body odor. Some plants are smellier than others, and occasionally some lack the odor altogether, but when a hiker smells something foul along the trail, they’ll probably see the spreading vines of the coyote melon on the ground.

While little known, growing rue herb in the garden can be helpful to a gardener in a number of ways. Its strong smell is a repellent to many creatures, including dogs, cats and Japanese beetles. Because of this, it makes an excellent companion plant. It has semi-woody growth, which means that it can be pruned into hedges. It attracts some types of butterflies, and, last but not least, makes a lovely cut flower. 

Rue herb does well in a variety of soil but does best in well drained soil. In fact, it will do well in the rocky, dry soil that many other plants have a difficult time surviving. It needs full sun to grow well. It is drought tolerant and rarely, if ever needs to be watered. Care should be taken when handling rue plants. The sap of the rue plant is often irritating and can burn or leave rashes on people’s skin.

From MountainRoseHerbs.com:

Rue has a long history of use in both medicine and magick, and is considered a protective herb in both disciplines. The hardy evergreen shrub is mentioned by writers from Pliny to Shakespeare and beyond, as an herb of remembrance, of warding and of healing. Early physicians considered rue an excellent protection against plagues and pestilence, and used it to ward off poisons and fleas. A Modern Herbal refers to the plant's 'disagreeable odour and flavour', but in truth, the bitterness of the leaves is only evident in large doses. In smaller amounts, it imparts a pleasant, musky flavor to cream cheeses and light meats. Rue was once believed to improve the eyesight and creativity, and no less personages than Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci regularly ate the small, trefoil leaves to increase their own. The legend of rue lives on in playing cards, where the symbol for the suit of clubs is said to be modeled on a leaf of rue. There are concerns that rue is poisonous and can cause violent gastric reactions when taken in large doses. In addition, some people are highly sensitive to the plant's oils and can develop a severe rash when they are exposed to it and then the sun.

I'll probably add some shade cloth and plan on setting up a misting system in the orchard.

These were supposed to be HARDWOOD cuttings, but some of the berries kept growing leaves through winter.

I hadn't done much pruning and the top branches were getting close to the plastic.  The top leaves burned or dried up last summer.  We've had the 4-year plastic for 4.5 years and when it breaks we'll move the hoophouse down the hill with shade cloth covering and the existing hoophouse will be turned into a garden.  Didn't expect the plastic to last so long!

In 2015 the gophers almost got it.  They were within two feet of the trunk and I'm so glad we saved the tree.  Even if it doesn't produce edible fruit, it will make a nice windbreak and provide shade.

Here it is after some serious pruning:

I've pruned a little more since then.

The Rosemary grew through the fence and so far even the gophers haven't messed with it.

A little snow is still on the flowering rosemary on 2/2/16: