Family | Lamiaceae | The Mint Family

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Conradina ?

 


 

 

Basil (Ocimum)

Golden Oregano  

Oregano

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Blue Mistflower

Monarda

Monarda

                                               

Lavender

                                   

©  Grassroots Horticulture

2000-2015

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THEMED GARDEN | ARTIST VAN GOGH

The artist, Vincent van Gogh, after another disappointment in trying to establish an artist colony in the south of France, settled shortly in Saint-Remy-de-Provence where he continued to paint nature and express his emotional angst and suffered the possible side effects to the chemistry of lead and ill health that came to some artists of this era. It's amazing how many of the older pigmentswere highly toxic compounds containing lead, mercury, chrome, arsenic - even cyanide. 

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France 

Migration, wars and population expansion brought people with their cultures and values and each affected the ecosystem in this Mediterranean climate. Romans built roads and irrigation networks. Greeks brought the cultivation of vines and olives for sustenance and commerce. In this very sunny, 300 days out of 365 days, and limestone environment a unique nature flourishes. 

Plants of Provence and The Five Senses

Plants of St. Remy de Provence

The essential oils of the lavender, roses, angelica, and verbena of Provence are synonymous with essence and perfume. Herbes de Provence, the mixture of savory, fennel, thyme and lavender flowers is used in haute cuisine and the flavoring or soups and sauces.

Using the herbs of Provence

Herbes de Provence are used to flavour grilled foods such as fish and meat, as well as vegetable stews. The mixture can be added to foods before or during cooking or mixed with cooking oil prior to cooking so as to infuse the flavour into the cooked food. They are rarely added after cooking is complete.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons dried fennel seed 
• 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary   
• 2 tablespoons dried savory
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• Directions:
• In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.

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There is a peaceful bucolic quality that many would find beautiful and inspiring here. This is where van Gogh painted.

Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Entrance Hall of Saint-Paul Hospital (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)

A Wheatfield with Cypresses, a painting inspired by the view from van Gogh's window at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole mental asylum, toward the Alpilles mountains (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

We approached the painter in this photograph and asked in French, "Pouvons nous prendre votre photo, May we take your picture?" "Yes," she was from Kansas.

 

An artist painting in the meadow at St. Paul Hospital, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France and Vincent van Gogh

On May 8, 1889, van Gogh committed himself to the hospital at Saint Paul-de-Mausole. The hospital was a former monastery in Saint-Rémy. The monastery is located in an area of Grain fields, vineyards and olive trees. Vincent's brother, Theo, arranged for two small adjoining rooms, with barred windows. The second room was his studio.

The garden of the hospital in Arles (Oskar Reinhart Collection, Winterthur, Switzerland)

A man playing a popular game, Petanque, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

A painting of a scene at night with 10 swirly stars, Venus, 

and a bright yellow crescent Moon. 
In the background there are hills, in the middle ground there is a moonlit town 
with a church that has an elongated steeple, and in the foreground there is the dark green silhouette of a cypress tree and houses.

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An Easy Weekend Dish Using Basil

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Gardening and Harvesting Sweet Basil

CREATING Caprese Salad for a simple weekend meal 

Campari Tomatoes and Sweet Basil

                                                                                                                                                       

The 100's of spider lily bulbs I planted, may not have bloomed this fall, but we have an abundance of basil for green salads, pesto and another favorite, Caprese salad. Until the first frost we will be enjoying fresh basil for many recipes.  The Caprese salad is so easy and fast to prepare. I take Campari tomatoes and quarter them, cut a good quality mozzarella cheese into 1" slices, chiffonade the basil and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar and EVOO. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

All material © 2007-2017 by Jeanette Hyden for Grassroots Horticulture

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Basil

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Gardening | Plant ID

Basil varieties offer diverse flavors and scents

Herb Gardening 

This year we have expanded the varieties of herbs we are growing. Sweet basil is so easy to grow in our 7b-8a hardiness zone garden. This basil cultivar is the best choice for anything Italian like soups, sauces, and pesto. Other varieties include Italian large leaf, lettuce leaf, Genovese, and Napoletano basil. Plants height is 14 to 30 inches tall. They are prolific in hot, sunny locations. 

If you harvest the top four leaves often, the plant will continue growing and producing the best sweetly flavored leaves for culinary use. These are the varieties of basil we are having success with so far: sweet basil, Aristotle, African blue basil, lemon basil, lime basil, cinnamon basil, lettuce leaf basil, Thai basil, spicy bush basil, and purple ruffles basil.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Growing Basil

Basil is an easy to grow and often used culinary herb. Mediterranean  food is now becoming a very healthy choice for people watching their diet. Place in a sunny spot with good soil.

African blue basil

Ocimum kilimandscharicum × basilicum

African blue basil is a sterile perennial hybrid, with purple coloration on its leaves and containing a strong portion of actual camphor in its scent. This basil species is native to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, and Ethiopia. 

Cinnamon basil (Mexican spice basil)

Ocimum basilicum 'Cinnamon'

Also called Mexican spice basil, with a strong scent of cinnamate, the same chemical found in cinnamon. 

Lettuce leaf basil

Ocimum basilicum 'Lettuce Leaf'

The lettuce leaf basil has leaves so large they are sometimes used in salads.

Thai basil

Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum

The Thai basil has a scent of licorice, small to medium leaves and purple flowers

Lemon basil

Ocimum americanum

Lemon basil contains citral and limonene, and smells very lemony. It has a sweet flavor.  It can be found under alternative names, hoary basil or Indonesian basil. 

Lime basil

Ocimum americanum

The Minimus Basil

Aristotle basil  (Ocimum minimum  'Aristotle')

rounded bush form with small delicate leaves

Neat, compact mounds of small leaves with a most delicious flavour make Basil 'Aristotle' a stunning ornamental, edible pot plant. The aromatic foliage adds flavour to all manner of dishes, particularly Italian recipes. This Greek basil is perfect for growing on the kitchen windowsill or in containers outside the back door. Height: 20 inches.

Table 1. Basil Varieties                                                                                                                              ________________________________________________________________________ Common name Species and cultivars African blue basil Ocimum kilimandscharicum × basilicum Aristotle basil (Greek basil, bush basil) Ocimum minimum  'Aristotle' Boxwood basil Ocimum basilicum 'Boxwood' Christmas basil Ocimum basilicum 'Christmas' (cross of Thai and Genovese basil) Cinnamon basil (Mexican spice basil) Ocimum basilicum 'Cinnamon' Clove Basil (tree basil) Ocimum gratissimum Cuban basil Ocimum basilicum 'Cuban' Dark opal basil Ocimum basilicum 'Purpurascens' Dwarf bush basil Ocimum minimum (alt. Ocimum basilicum var. minimum) Fino verde basil Ocimum basilicum piccolo 'Fino verde' Genovese basil Ocimum 'Genovese Gigante' Greek bush basil (Greek spicy globe basil) Ocimum minimum (alt. Ocimum basilicum var. minimum) Greek column basil Ocimum basilicum x citriodorum 'Greek Columnar' Greek Yevani basil Ocimum basilicum 'Greek Yevani' Holy basil Ocimum sanctum (alt. Ocimum tenuiflorum) Lemon basil Ocimum americanum Lettuce leaf basil Ocimum basilicum 'Lettuce Leaf' Licorice basil Ocimum basilicum 'Licorice' Lime basil Ocimum americanum Magical Michael Ocimum basilicum 'Magical Michael' Mammoth basil Ocimum basilicum 'Mammoth' Mrs. Burns lemon basil Ocimum basilicum var. citriodora 'Mrs. Burns' Nufar basil Ocimum basilicum 'Nufar F1' Osmin purple basil Ocimum basilicum 'Osmin Purple' Purple ruffles basil Ocimum basilicum 'Purple Ruffles' Red rubin basil Ocimum basilicum 'Red Rubin' 'Siam Queen' Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum 'Siam Queen' Spice basil Ocimum basilicum × americanum Spicy globe basil Ocimum basilicum 'Spicy Globe' Sweet basil Ocimum basilicum Sweet Dani basil Ocimum basilicum × americanum Thai basil Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum Thai lemon basil Ocimum × citriodorum Thai Holy basil Ocimum tenuiflorum (synonym Ocimum sanctum)

Late May Happenings

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In the Garden

The Sunflower bud should open any day now. 

I love to see the flower follow the sun as it traverses the sky.

Nasturtium

We have both trailing and upright Nasturium. The flowers have just started their show.

Gaura flies across the breeze, barely settling long enough to capture a photograph.

Fragapani, Plumeria Leaf

Pink Turk's cap has been added this year. 

The red Turk's cap is budding and should start feeding the hummingbirds soon.

My hummingbird bushes, also known as flame acanthus, (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii) are extremely healthy and tall and I expect it will be full of red blooms this year. It blooms later in the season.  

A hummingbird with a great memory visited the site several weeks ago just to be disappointed when there were no red flowers or nectar buffet. 

I am using a technique used by cherry fruit growers to protect the plants. The bushes are planted on the back side of a hill. The topography protects the plants somewhat, usually just enough.

The flame acanthus instead of dying back to the ground, maintains enough vigor and adds to last years growth.

We are growing seven varieties of basil this year. So far ALL are thriving. I always have great luck with the standard sweet basil. It grows to about 5' tall even when pinched back for pesto. This is R. black basil. I need to pinch back the flowers if we are to use the basil for culinary purposes. 

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Peter's Purple Monarda has started it's prolific flowering. It should be in a sunnier location but there is a limit to sun in our woodland yard.

Starflower Borage

Catnip

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1 zone 7b Flowering: Larkspur,   Abelia, ruelia, datura, rock rose, lantana, roses, blackfoot daisy, sea oats  +++	2 Parsley, cilantro asparagus,and winter greens going to seed. Harvesting: peas, green beans, tomatillo	3 First: daylily	4 Welcome Visitors: hummingbird, hummingbird clearwing moth (abelia, larkspur), black swallowtail, bees +++	5 Container plantings: sedums, Bidens ferulifolia sun drops, coleus, sweet potato, Echeveria, Senecio	6 First  patty pan squash bloom
7	8 1st:  Morning glory,	9 Harvest: cherry tomatoes, bean	10 First: Marigold, tickseed	11	12	13
14	15	16	17 First: Gaura, nasturtium	18	19	20
Mother's Day
21	22	23 Harvest: peppers, tomatoes, herbs, tomatillos, beans.	24	25 Problem: Okra squirrels?	26 Visitors: bees, giant swallowtail, blue jays, cardinals, hawks.	27
28	29 First:  Starflower borage	30	31

Grassroots Horticulture

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