Columnar Basil – Potted Plant

This is a perennial basil that should be more widely known to Florida gardeners.  Many people are aware of African Blue Basil but we think this is a superior option.  This basil is some type of hybrid that never blooms, meaning it is always in perpetual growth for fresh tips to eat and can only be propagated through cuttings.  The name Columnar comes from the unique growth habit of the plant which grows in a tight column up to four feet high. This is a woody perennial basil that can live for more than a year but we find plants get tired and need re-propagated and moved around to keep a healthy growing population.  Cuttings root easily in water and soil to make new plants so once you have it you can have it forever.  This basil tolerates Florida summers and produces through the winter as well provided it doesn’t get frosted.  This is the only basil we grow for our kitchen and we have it to eat virtually year round. On our farm, it is a disease resistant and generally tolerant variety though it does get some disease caused leaf spotting and such but outgrows these problems.  The flavor of the basil approximates a type of cinnamon basil to our taste.  This variety apparently originated in Greece and sometimes goes under the name of the Greek city Lesbos.

We are proud to offer Columnar in memory of our dear friend and Florida gardener extraordinaire John Starnes who loved and promoted this basil to many gardeners.

This listing is for 1 live plant in a 4 inch pot. Ocimum spp.