Lemonette (lemon basil) really does have a pleasing citrusy scent. The leaves aren’t as robust as the basil that most food gardeners know, and the plants are smaller and more compact. It is, however, a welcome and aromatic addition to your garden, and plate.
Red Rubin is a compact red basil plant with delightfully dramatic red-purple leaves which have a spicy aroma. It finishes the season by making pretty pink flowers which look great in salads, and flower arrangements. Use the leaves sparingly in dishes as this variety is more pungent than other basil types. It’s wonderful to flavour vinegar.
Well, this is promising, right? Basil with large leaves? So more flavour and more pesto! Basil provides the scent of summer in a veggie garden – and delectable freshness to salads, pesto, pizza and pasta. Bonus is that large-leaf basil is apparently sweeter than the regular Genovese sweet basil that most of us are used to planting. Worth a try!
