Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:58 pm
Within the wide range of varieties can be found various perennial basil. However, this is not accompanied by winter hardiness, because no royal herb resists frosty temperatures for a long time. How the perennial cultivation nevertheless succeeds, you will learn here.
So you can enjoy a basil plant for several years.
If you are striving for perennial cultivation of king herb, we recommend planting in a pot. This form of cultivation provides the necessary mobility to move the herb plant to winter quarters. Optionally, you put the pot in the ground in the garden, to easily bring it out at the right time. This is how the wintering succeeds:
- if the temperatures fall permanently below 10 degrees Celsius, basil will relocate
- extensive pruning is not necessary
- the winter quarters are sunny and warm, at 15 to 20 degrees Celsius
- continue watering only when the substrate surface has dried out
- fertilize organically and liquid at intervals of 4 to 6 weeks
Thus, the windowsill on the south side of the house is recommended as an excellent location for perennial basil. A sunlit, heated conservatory also comes into consideration. Under the above conditions, you will continue to harvest fresh basil during the cold season, so you do not have to rely on preservation of the aromatic flowers and leaves.
The best perennial basil varieties
To make the effort of overwintering basil worthwhile, the variety should be chosen wisely. In particular, the following cultivars are recommended:
- ‘Wild Pupur’ (Ocimum canum x basilicum).
- ‘Garden basil’ (Ocimum kilimanjaricum x basilicum)
- Russian shrub basil ‘Gorbachev’ (Ocimum x basilicum ‘Gorbachev’)
- African tree basil’ (Ocimum gratissium x suave)
- Green-leaved African basil ‘African Green’ (Ocimum kilimanscharicum basilicum)
- Varieties of the trendy Thai basil are also suitable for perennial cultivation. Although the exotic herb plant originates from the warm regions of Asia, its leaves are remarkably sturdy in texture.
Tips & Tricks
Perennial basil usually originates from a cross between different varieties. For pure propagation, this means that the only option is to propagate with cuttings. If you obtain seeds for sowing, it is a guessing game which attributes of the parent and grandparent plants will prevail here.