african blue basil planted today

[bj taylor]

i'm hoping it will be a vigorous shrub this year. i planted it in the strip bed alongside my raised vegetable beds that i've planted other pollinator friendly annuals. i'm hoping i can sit & watch the bees, butterflies, & hummers after a day's work in the garden.

 

[897tgigvib]

...mmmmmmmmmm...

I'll google up that kind of Basil. Got me curious!

 

[digitS']

There you go again, BJ! Something I didn't know about: a perennial basil!

I have grown Dark Opal for quite a few years. Wikipedia says that it is one of the parents. Wow, an annual basil as a parent for a perennial!

I have learned that Dark Opal is an African basil. I find it very easy to grow and very ornamental.

By the way, Wikipedia looks like it has really, really cleaned up its basil information from the sketchy stuff that was thrown on there a couple of years ago.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

It looks super tender, like a zone 11 perennial.

yea, amazing, an annual parent of a perennial! Sterile hybrid.

 

[bj taylor]

it is tender. i'm a zone 7. it dies to the ground w/winter - but returns sometimes depending on the winter - i treat it like an annual. it grows so fast that it gets 3-4' here in one season. it likes the heat and boy can we give it heat here.

 

[digitS']

Oh.

Well then, how is it different from Dark Opal? That will go to a fairly big plant, for a basil. You are planting seed for the African Blue every year, BJ?

People sometimes want a basil just for culinary use and also want something that is really, really purple. I like ornamental foliage. It has a real place with the flowering plants. Oh yeah, Dark Opal flowers too . . .

Steve

 

[bj taylor]

it reseeds pretty reliably. it's not as striking purple as opal. it's not much for culinary - just a great pollinator plant. smells good & holds up to tougher conditions than opal.

 

[digitS']

Tougher conditions.

Well there's something!

Basil is the real wimp in the garden. You'd be a better judge of it in extreme heat but heat-tolerance seems to be one of the few things it's got going for it. Cold or wind . . . nope.

Gotta have it, tho'. I really like the Thai in noodles and DW is something of a pesto fanatic. And then, it is pretty and just nice to have around. Bees? Okay, I'll move slowly . . .

Steve

 

[nelson castro]

African blue basil thrives in hot, dry weather and never needs to be watered. Just give it a spot in your garden with full sun and fertile soil.