Ah, I can see I was not as clear as I had hoped... Seed provenance refers to the specified area in which plants that produced seed are located or were derived. Local provenancing is a position maintained by ecologists that suggests that seeds should be planted of local provenance only. The idea is that within species variability reflects adaptation to the local environment. IOW, not simply 'species X performs best here' (how I read your quoted statements), but species X trees from location Y are adapted to that site and have different characteristics than species X trees from location Z'. I brought this up because I think it's a very interesting phenomenon. I suppose it's a bit off topic if the question is 'Will this particular specimen put on more growth when grown somewhere with a longer growing season.' But it is relevant if you're asking 'why does species X put on more annual growth down south'? The implication is, it's not because they're grown down south but because the local population is adapted to a longer warm season, and such individuals will exhibit a longer growing season wherever they're grown. In other words, it's not so much the environment per se but the intrinsic genetics of the local sub-species population that causes the longer growing season. That's the idea anyway. This post was edited by maple_grove on Tue, Apr 16, 13 at 15:20

Just how big a pot is it in? Rosemary is quite a large plant when allowed to do its own thing, and if it's confined to a tiny pot, of course the root system can't grow enough to sustain the plant forever. Rosemary can do it tough, but if those roots are squashing each other to death, you can't expect miracles. Also, if it's been in the same pot for 3 years, the soil will be completely dead. What remains of it, that is.

Not enough sun, too much water, probably poor drainage. Nasturtium absolutely HATES being transplanted - however, if you've got new growth, that's good. It will recover, but most or all of the old growth will probably die. All these herbs prefer poor soil, so the fertiliser isn't helping, either. And all are probably suffering from Transplant Shock. After transplanting, leave your plants to recover for at least a couple of weeks before harvesting from them. How would you like to have a part amputated after your transplant surgery, huh? Since the basil and mint are doing well, it would seem to be predominantly an excess-water problem - too much, too soon after transplanting. Both these can do with plenty of water. But the basil will be wanting a lot more sun than it's getting now. Before watering, do the Finger Test. Poke your finger into the soil. If the tip of your finger feels damp, don't water. If dry, water. Do not allow the soil to dry out between waterings, and if the soil is waterlogged, lift the pots up onto feet to assist with drainage and add some dry potting mix to help absorb the excess moisture. Sage and rosemary cannot tolerate constantly wet feet.

You might want to read (or listen) to the news piece NPR did on this subject, dated April 22 2015. Found in the Salt, titled http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/04/22/401536105/buzz-over-bee-health-new-pesticide-studies-rev-up-controversy I purchased several flats of thyme from HD a few days ago and found the same plastic marker shown above stating the plants were treated with neonics. These ground covering plants were to replace the lawn, as we are looking for water-saving alternatives to grass. What I find particularly disturbing is that in the NPR story, the study mentions that crop seeds are treated (coated) with this chemical. After the seed germinates (typically corn or soybeans), the plant grows, incorporating this nicotine compound into its cells. There is still enough active compound remaining in the plant after it has grown to a mature size, bearing flowers, to be an effective insecticide. The nicotine is found in the pollen and nectar of these flowers, and is consumed by bees. What?! That is a very powerful compound if what is coated on an individual seed is enough to deliver a dose to leaves and flowers after several months of growth. I mistakenly thought that most pesticides had to be sprayed on the plant repeatedly over the growing season. The benefit of a genetic alteration, like having a plant make a Bt protein, is that nothing is sprayed or added to the soil. But in this case, a seed treated with a coating is able to permeate every cell of the plant as it grows. I understand there are many chemicals used in agriculture that are labelled "systemics", but I envisioned that such a product required it to be liberally spread in the soil or sprayed on the leaves, where the plant takes it in and distributes throughout it's tissues. Somehow the idea that something coated on a seed could last this long is just not something I had considered. I certainly would never chose to use these chemicals in my garden. I hate to think this ground cover will harbor this compound for many months. I will have to research this some more before I decide what to do.