I'd not heard of African Blue basil before. Have you considered agastache as an alternative? It looks similar and is easy to grow from seed each year - and it's laden with bees when in flower. The leaves have a sort of minty smell - to which they are related.
I do find seedlings around plants the following year, but they are slow to get growing. I sow agastache seed in late Feb and they're flowering by June. They are available in a wide range of colours. So if your basil doesn't make it, give agastache a try.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I love African basil and actually love using it for cooking too...but have failed up to now to overwinter a single plant. This draughty Victorian house is useless for the task. I resigned in buying a couple of plants each year.
I love African basil and actually love using it for cooking too...but have failed up to now to overwinter a single plant. This draughty Victorian house is useless for the task. I resigned in buying a couple of plants each year.
It’s not an easy plant to find, where did you buy them from please?
Norfolk Herbs sell them every year @LeadFarmer last year also found them at the National Trust garden centre at Morden Hall in South London which was great.
Whatever is plaguing your plants, they probably came indoors with the plants as it is unlikely you have an infestation of aphids or spider mite already in your house. Next year it might be an idea to give the plants a very careful check before bringing them indoors for the winter and keep checking at regular intervals as some of those beasts manage to hide until they are ready to take over.
Norfolk Herbs sell them every year @LeadFarmer last year also found them at the National Trust garden centre at Morden Hall in South London which was great.
I've just checked my email history and found I have previously bought African Blue from rocketgardens.co.uk
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Have you considered agastache as an alternative?
It looks similar and is easy to grow from seed each year - and it's laden with bees when in flower. The leaves have a sort of minty smell - to which they are related.
I do find seedlings around plants the following year, but they are slow to get growing.
I sow agastache seed in late Feb and they're flowering by June.
They are available in a wide range of colours.
So if your basil doesn't make it, give agastache a try.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."