If I had to grow only one herb each year, it would be sweet basil. I've developed a bit of an obsession for it, and I plant a couple of dozen plants each year. I plant some among my tomato plants, as I've read that they are ideal as companion planting partners. I haven't noticed whether growing basil near the tomatoes affects the number of whiteflies or hornworms. I also plant half a dozen plants just outside my kitchen door, so I can easily pinch off a bunch as I'm cooking, and I pinch them back frequently to encourage a bushy plant.
It really does smell and taste like cinnamon and basil and it can be used in baking to give an unusual (and delicious) flavor to sweet baked goods. Cinnamon basil pound cake with ginger is a good recipe to Google because it goes well with ginger. Also, try using this basil in place of regular basil in recipes with tomatoes, etc. to give your old recipes a new twist. Like all basils, this one likes a lot of water and does well in large containers with a water reservoir.
This is a very pleasant tasting basil, it is easy to grow from seed, and it has nice large leaves.
A very attractive and sterile ornamental basil that produces a profusion of lovely, purple tinged leaves and continuous large spires of blooms all season long. The flowers are beloved of pollinating insects of all kinds. It is such a joy to see so many native bees working this plant!
We Hindus love this plant and we actually worship it. It is considered sacred in our culture. The odor is fruity and basil-y and the taste is just like basil, but stronger and mint-ier. This plant is a perennial in zones 9 and above but can be grown as a houseplant in temperate regions. I found mine randomly growing in my backyard and I still don't know how it got there. I transplanted it to a pot and it's doing very well there now.
This is a wonderully fragrant basil; it's flavor is a little spicier than sweet basil, but makes a lovely addition to many asian-inspired dishes. This plant likes to flower, but the flowers are such a beautiful color, I'm often tempted not to pinch them back. This plant can get fairly large, so give it a little room in your garden or container.
This is one of my must-grow basils. It is a little slow to get started in the spring, but give it blazing sun and tons of water and it will take off. Seems to do better in containers because of the water requirement. Use it in smoothies and sprinkle over sliced tomatoes for a WOW flavor. Also put sprigs in frozen drinks. You gotta grow this!
I didn't grow this to cook with--I put it in with the flowers. It was gorgeous, grew to a little under two feet with its abundant, showy flower spikes, and was pleasantly pungent when brushed by along the pathway. Gathering seeds leaves the slightly spicy aroma on my hands for a while. And there were LOTS of seeds! Won't be surprised to find seedlings everywhere this spring.
Lemon basil grew to over 4' in full sun. It was much too tall for the area where it was planted. Beware of the height when planting in an herb garden.
I grow this basil almost every year in my Herb garden . It has a very compact round shape, consistent with its name, ''Spicy Globe.' This plant is also more pungent in smell and taste than the sweet basil, so a smaller amount is needed in cooking . Good for those with limited space for herbs.
