Basil

Basil dishes up classic Italian flavor in eye-catching bushy plants suitable for garden beds or containers. Grow this tasty beauty in a sunny spot, and you'll reap rewards of flavorful foliage in shades of green, purple, or bronze. Basil lends a distinctive taste to salads, pizza, and pasta dishes. Use small leaves whole; chop larger leaves. Add leaves to dishes just before serving for greatest taste and aroma. Basil plants are exceedingly sensitive to cold; start seeds indoors or sow outside after all danger of frost has passed.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun

Plant Type:

Annual,Herb

Plant Height:

1-3 feet tall

Plant Width:

1-3 feet wide

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders

Special Features:

Deer Resistant,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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'Boxwood' basil

Ocimum basilicum 'Boxwood' is a hard-working variety that grows only 6 to 12 inches tall, but is big on flavor and makes an excellent edging plant in a bed near your kitchen door. Or try growing it in pots and window boxes.
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'Cinnamon' basil

Ocimum basilicum 'Cinnamon' is grown specifically for its tasty, cinnamon-flavor leaves. It grows 18 inches tall and wide and thrives in hot, sunny locations.
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'Genovese' basil

Ocimum 'Genovese' is perfect for fans of fresh pesto. This large-leaf Italian basil yields plentiful foliage packed with aromatic oils, ideal for true Neapolitan-style cooking. It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
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'Greek Column' basil

Ocimum x citriodorum 'Greek Column' is a tall, narrow variety that bears lemon-scented leaves. It grows 36 inches tall and 10 inches wide.
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Lemon basil

Ocimum x citriodorum is a summer treat; there's nothing as refreshing a sprig of lemon basil. This easy-to-grow herb produces leaves with a light lemony fragrance and flavor. It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
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'Magical Michael' basil

Ocimum basilicum 'Magical Michael' has a compact, well-branched growing habit, making it ideal for container culture. An All-America Selections winner, it's prized for its bold white and purple flowers. It grows 15 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
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'Napolitano' basil

Ocimum basilicum 'Napolitano' (also called Italian large-leaf basil) is one of the best varieties for pesto. The large, fragrant leaves can be harvested all summer long. It's a productive variety that grows 2 feet tall and 18 inches wide.
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'Osmin' basil

Ocimum 'Osmin' offers glossy, deep purple leaves that give off a sweet, fruity aroma that lends pungent color to culinary creations. Tidy plants grow 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide and thrive in pots.
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'Pesto Perpetua' basil

Ocimum x citriodorum 'Pesto Perpetua' is a fragrant variety that produces bright green leaves edged in cream. It grows 36 to 48 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
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'Purple Ruffles' basil

Ocimum basilicum 'Purple Ruffles' is an award-winning selection that has eye-catching wavy, purple leaves. It is a tough annual that works well in pesto, salads, or garnishes. It grows 24 inches tall and 16 inches wide.
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'Red Rubin' basil

Ocimum 'Red Rubin' dresses up garden-fresh dishes with purple-toned leaves. This basil grows about 2 feet tall and 14 inches wide, making it ideal for containers or garden beds.
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'Siam Queen' basil

Ocimum 'Siam Queen' is beautiful and bushy, soaring to 3 feet tall. Pick leaves or purple flowers to infuse stir-fry, oils, or salad with traditional Thai flavors.
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'Spicy Bush' basil

Ocimum 'Spicy Bush' is a compact variety (12 inches tall and wide) with tiny leaves, making it an ideal plant for edging gardens or growing in containers.
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Garden Plans

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Heritage Vegetable Garden
Lush Foliage Garden Plan
Formal Knot-Garden Plan
Inspired by Italy Vegetable Garden Plan
Summer Vegetable Garden Plan
Asian-Inspired Vegetable Garden Plan

Harvest Tips

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Start snipping as soon as plants unfurl at least four sets of leaves. Pick only as many individual leaves as you'll use. To store fresh basil for up to five days, clip sprigs and treat them like fresh cut flowers -- in water at room temperature. Basil turns brown if stored in the refrigerator. When frost threatens, cut plants, plunging stems into a few inches of water in a clean bucket.

To store leaves, dry, freeze, or hot pack in sterilized bottles with vinegar and olive oil. Or preserve basil flavor in pesto, which stores in the refrigerator up to one month and can be frozen for up to two years.

Propagation

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Seed