3 Different Types of Basil Plants That Add Sweet Variety to Your Herb Garden

While sweet basil is a staple in most gardens, different types of basil are making inroads of their own. Lemon, cinnamon, clove, and Thai basils provide strong, scented alternatives that enhance your gardening experience.

Not only do they make delicious infused oils and vinegar, but they also help keep away pests and bugs that can damage neighboring plants.

Lemon Basil

Lemon basil has a strong citrusy scent with a slight licorice undertone. The leaves are light green, and the small white flowers add their own light lemony fragrance. The leaves make a delightful pesto for sandwiches and spreads.

Whole and chopped leaves add a great flavor to meats and salads. Lemon basil’s rich flavor is popular with fish and poultry dishes.

Here’s where to buy lemon basil seeds.

The strong scents make these plants a nice addition to any patio or garden. As a container plant, it can be used year-round.

Lemon basil stalks can be dried and used throughout the year but also make a delightful addition to dried flower arrangements.

Cinnamon Basil

Cinnamon basils are also known as Mexican spice basil. They are a strong, pungent plant with spicy, aromatic flowers and leaves.

This particular variety is one of the smaller basil specimens. With a maximum height of 18 inches, it is easy to care for year-round.

Here’s where to buy cinnamon basil seeds.

Unlike most basil, cinnamon basil has found its own popularity in various recipes for baked goods and teas. It makes a flavorful addition to fresh fruit dishes as well as honey and jams.

The dried leaves and flowers store well and maintain a strong flavor. This basil is sometimes mistaken for Thai basil but is actually a different cultivar.

Thai Basil

Thai basil produces dark purple flowers and light green leaves. This plant has a tendency to be bushier than common sweet basil with a licorice or anise scent.

Bees and pollinators are drawn to these plants making them a great addition to any garden. The purple-pink flowers make a nice backdrop in herb gardens and dry flower arrangements.

Here’s where to buy Thai basil seeds.

Oriental dishes, Vietnamese cuisine, and Cambodian foods take advantage of the spicy sweetness found in Thai basil.

The leaves and stalks hold up well under the heat of cooking making them a satisfying addition to many recipes. These plants and leaves dry easily and hold their flavor.

Flavored basil plants have various specimens and cultivars to meet a variety of growing situations.

Cultivars are defined as different plant varieties due to selective breeding. This can be confusing when trying to locate the right spice.

Identifications can be easier if you are familiar with the size of the plant, color of the flowers, and shape of the leaves dominant in each variety.

Choose an assortment of basil plants for your garden. Their distinct flavorings and aromas provide unlimited possibilities while protecting other plants in the process. Explore their various uses and discover the wide world of basils.