This African Blue Basil brings in so many pollinators, especially bumblebees and honey bees. I watch them every morning.
My basil seems to attract all the bees to the yard
Phoenix said:
My basil seems to attract all the bees to the yard
I was a big fan of the bees until a bumble bee stung my poor dog.
Mine keeps trying to catch them mid-air. I have to walk him carefully around them. It’s challenging since they’re planted right in front of the porch.
I really love those bees
We hardly pick our basil for cooking, but it sure brings the pollinators to our garden
Oakley said:
We hardly pick our basil for cooking, but it sure brings the pollinators to our garden
Homemade pizza with fresh basil sounds delicious
Oakley said:
We hardly pick our basil for cooking, but it sure brings the pollinators to our garden
I often get into debates with people about letting my basil flower. But honestly, 1. The bees love it and 2. I get so many volunteers for next season. It can be silly how some people criticize your gardening choices, but I feel like it’s not wasteful at all.
This is a great buffet for the pollinators! Love it!
Kade said:
That looks like Russian Sage. We have three of them and the bees really love that stuff every summer.
We have both Russian Sage and African Blue Basil. To me, it looks more like the basil. I wish I had one that big. We planted our basil in grow bags and they got huge but nothing compared to yours.
@Lex
I agree, this is definitely basil. I have this same plant in my garden because it attracts over 50 bees at a time. It’s the best pollinator I’ve ever had.
@Lex
The leaf veins really do look like those of African Blue Basil. Mine grew to a similar size but was knocked down by the weather, which only made it grow back even bigger.
@Lex
There are actually two salvia plants and two lavender plants hiding underneath the basil. We were really surprised by how fast it grew!
Shea said:
It’s nice to see someone else doing something similar! Watching the bees is my morning relaxation while I clean and refill the nearby birdbath.
I plan to get a birdbath soon.
I have a huge plant too! The bees really seem to love it. I hope it comes back next year.
Ira said:
I have a huge plant too! The bees really seem to love it. I hope it comes back next year.
Just take a cutting and grow it indoors over the winter.
Ira said:
I have a huge plant too! The bees really seem to love it. I hope it comes back next year.
We’ve heard that it will die off in winter but grow back in spring. We’ll just have to wait and see.
@Noor
That looks like African Blue Basil… it won’t come back. Take a cutting and keep it inside during winter and then plant it in spring.
Vinnie said:
@Noor
That looks like African Blue Basil… it won’t come back. Take a cutting and keep it inside during winter and then plant it in spring.
Oh no, the person at the nursery said it would die but regrow in spring. What’s the best way to take a cutting from these plants?
@Noor
Just cut a piece with 3 sets of leaves. Remove the bottom set and place it in water for a week. It’ll grow roots. Then just put it in some soil.
Vinnie said:
@Noor
Just cut a piece with 3 sets of leaves. Remove the bottom set and place it in water for a week. It’ll grow roots. Then just put it in some soil.
You’re really helpful. Thanks.