It can grow from 10 to 24 inches tall, depending on the variety.
It can be planted outdoors in spring after the last frost.
you could add the edible flowers to a salad.
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It has a complex spicy flavor with aromatic notes of mint and clove.
Easily grown from seed, Genovese basil does well in containers.
With a spicy, clove-like flavor, it is best used fresh in salads or for garnish.
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The deep purple flowers can also be snipped and used in a salad.
Its bright green leaves have subtle purple veining, and the purple stems bear light purple or pink flowers.
The fresh leaves are delicious in a summer fruit salad or garnish with a cheese and fruit plate.
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It’s a hybrid that is popularly used in South Asian cooking.
The leaves are firmly textured and hold up well to high cooking temperatures.
It has a delightful lemony fragrance and light lemon flavor to go with its spicy basil flavor.
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Thai Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum var.
Its beautiful plants are also a show-stopper in the herb garden, with deep purple stems and flowers.
The leaves are somewhat thicker in texture than sweet basil, and the flavor is mild and complex.
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Thai sweet basil’s flavor holds up well in cooking at high temperatures.
Greek Basil (Ocimum basilicum var.
The compact plants produce light green, slightly pointed leaves that grow in small rounded clumps.
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It grows easily in containers and makes a nice addition to the herb garden or front of the border.
Its savory flavor works great in cooking sauces, soups, and meat dishes.
The showy flowers on these large plants are a dramatic addition to the outdoorherb garden.
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It is strongly scented and often used for flavoring oils and herb vinegar.
It is a dwarf sweet basil believed to descend from sweet basil varieties in India and Asia.
The tiny leaves grow in small branching clumps, forming a small round globe shape.
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It is perfect for snipping for bits of garnish or to use raw in salads or other dishes.
It is a common herbal tea available in most grocery or health food stores.
It can be grown as a perennial in warm regions and reaches up to 4 feet tall.
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Its camphor basil origins give it a slight camphor fragrance, along with notes of clove and mint.
Its taste is peppery, minty, and complex.
It is flavorful for salads or hot dishes and a beautiful fragrant addition to cut flower arrangements.
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It is an heirloom globe basil, and its compact plant has slightly larger leaves than other globe basils.
It has a robust and delicious fragrance.
In French cuisine, it is used to make pistou, which is a sauce similar to Italian pesto.
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Napoletano Basil (Ociumum basiclium ‘Neopolitan’)
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This variety is slow to bolt, giving it a slightly longer growing season than other basils.
It’s an easy plant to grow in containers.
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It has a lighter sweet basil taste with cinnamon, citrus, and licorice hints.
Ted Torrey, an herb breeder from Burpee in the U.S., developed green ruffles basil.
He also made purple ruffles basil from crossing green ruffles with dark opal basil.
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Sweet basil or Genovese basil is ideal for cooking, particularly when preparing Italian cuisine.
However, the best kind of basil will be dictated by your personal taste.
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