Gardening with basil
Purple ruffles basil holds its own visually with a bright variegated beautyberry.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
Sweet basil is a common herb grown by gardeners, but there are many other basil selections, and some of them are quite pretty—so much so that they should be considered ornamental as well as edible. Need examples?
Thai basil. With green leaves supported on purple stems and topped by small sprites of equally purple blossoms, this is a handsome herb. Growing to about 18 inches tall, it is a candidate to grab attention on the front of any annual flower bed. For munching purposes, Thai basil's spicy, anise-like flavor makes it a must in many Asian dishes. Siam Queen is the typical Thai basil cultivar found in garden centers.
Cinnamon basil. If you like the appearance of Thai basil, but prefer a heftier visual impact, pick cinnamon basil, which looks similar with purple-ish stems and flowers but stretches upwards to 30 inches tall, making it a possibility for the back of an ornamental border. True to its name, this basil has a taste comparable to cinnamon, and it is a popular addition to Asian and Italian recipes as well as fruit dishes.
Cardinal basil. Want even bolder? Going to the next flower-power level, in addition to also having red stems and a 30-inch reach to the sky, cardinal basil sports impressive reddish-purple blooms that are large enough to fool unsuspecting gardeners into thinking they just passed a spicy-scented celosia. This basil will certainly add more glam to any ornamental border, but give it a try in indoor cut arrangements, too. In the kitchen, cardinal basil’s tangy leaves are perfect for pestos, soups and Italian dishes.
Purple ruffles basil. Any plant bed will benefit visually from this dark basil, as it will poke playful, shadowy holes in landscapes usually dominated by botanical green. Growing to 18 inches high or more, it can create impressive swaths of deep purple to help make brightly colored flowers and dazzling variegated foliage pop even more. Purple Ruffles tends to have a milder flavor than other basils, making it a tasty possibility for sandwiches or salads. Also, its dusky leaves can be used to put a catchy purple tint in bottles of herb vinegar.
Most of these double-duty basils can possibly be found locally as starter plants with some searching, but seeds of all these beauties are available for sale online—and basil is very easy to start from seed.
June in the Garden
• If you weed the old-fashioned way by hand, remember the best way to prevent even more weeds is to pull the pesky plants before they develop seed heads.
• Flea beetles love a simmering summer, and they also love boring holes in eggplant leaves, so watch for these pinhead-sized pests. Contact insecticides can be used, but draping the plants with light-weight row cover fabric is a nonchemical, effective way to deter these unwanted insects. Row covers are also a good way to prevent stink bugs from marring maturing tomatoes.
• Dry, hot weather can cause blossom drop on peppers, so during long spells of arid conditions, maintain mulch layers, irrigate regularly and even mist the plants' foliage once or twice a day with water.
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Tip of the Month
Pumpkins started from seed this month should mature into hauntingly handsome jack-o-lanterns just in time for October’s annual spookfest. Grow the plants in well-worked, heavily amended soil in a sunny location, and water when the rains don’t come. Keep the vines thickly mulched with compost, and add either a commercial time-release fertilizer at planting time or a diluted natural fertilizer such as fish emulsion or compost tea at least once a month. For more symmetrical shapes, gently shift the bases of pumpkins' contact with the ground once a week. Want to go big? For bragging-size Halloween pumpkins, after the plants set fruit, reduce the number of pumpkins to two or three per vine.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.