Garden Trends

The old soil and herbs were removed, more rocks for drainage were added and new soil put into the herb containers. The Garlic Chives and Chocolate Mint are back from last year but the rest are new. We have already used our rosemary in a chicken dish and have enjoyed adding fresh basil to our pasta sauces. This year we planted the African Blue Basil which I adore and a new Red Rubin Basil which we have yet to try but the colour looks amazing. I have included a picture and name of each herb. Please feel free to comment and share any of your favourite herbs or recipes.

African Blue Basil

Chocolate Mint

Oregano

Garlic Chives

Darki Curled Parsley

Red Rubin Basil

Rosemary

Thyme

I will be including a garden trend here and there as I learn about them so I thought I should mention that 2008’s herb of the year is calendula. According to The Herb Companion it is known as the pot marigold. To find out more about this herb and it’s culinary uses visit The Herb Companion.

I just re-planted the herb containers this weekend and they have been basking in this warm weather we’ve been having. Although the containers looked great already it was necessary to take out the old soil as the herbs tend to have vast root systems that can take over and not allow much room for the new herbs to grow. I kept rocks at the bottom to allow for better drainage and put in the new potting soil. The old herbs that had survived the winter (thyme and curry) I kept and re-planted with the new ones (oregano, rosemary, african blue basil, garlic chives, chocolate mint and parsley). Although we face North I haven’t had a problem with the herbs growing, even though we only get partial morning and evening sun so I wouldn’t worry too much as long as you aren’t in full shade. As we use the herbs in our cooking we’ll post the recipes we use and let us know if you have some to share! Here are a couple pictures.

I was on the hunt for African Blue basil and finally struck the jackpot this weekend. It has a fabulous flavor and is a beautiful purple which goes nicely against the green of most other herbs. I won’t put it outside yet as basil is quite sensitive to cool temperatures (unfortunately I learned that the hard way). I will keep it in a sunny location in the house until I can plant it outside in the herb containers. It sounds like it may even be warm enough by the end of the week. Just as a side note … do expect to have to buy a new plant next year.

Wow! I cut off the flowers that were beginning to bloom of one of the basil plants I have in a container and it has gone to town. It has grown even bigger and has started to bloom again. I will have to start chopping and freezing them as we cannot keep up with the proliferation of basil. This is good because it can help us last through winter and then we can get a new plant next summer! I have two herb containers on our patio. They have been doing quite well as they are in a part sun/part shade spot. I have mounted the containers on brackets so they are at a convenient height for picking and it has been a great addition to our patio garden.