Glorious basil

Basil thrives in this awful heat. It can bake out in the full sun without skipping a beat. I wish I could say the same about all of us but we are wilting. It has been over 100 degrees for too many days.

Or sweet basil is going strong. I have to cut the flowers off about once a week. Time to make pesto!

The Siam Queen Thai basil is lovely but I must admit we haven't tried cooking with it yet. I love Thai food, I will have to look for some recipes online.

The purple basil is looking a little sunburned; the bottom leaves have taken on a yellowish cast. The new leaves on top are still richly colored, perfect for use in flower arrangements, where they add spicy fragrance as well as color and texture.

The dwarf bush basil, aka Spicy Globe, stays nice and tidy in a 15-inch mound. Sometimes we have trouble with this variety flowering, but this particular plant has not shown that tendency.

Above is African Blue Basil, my favorite ornamental basil. It does have a nice fragrance and mild flavor, but I never use it for cooking. I like it as an accent plant in the summer garden. One plant can grow to 3 feet in height and diameter. We have 3 planted on either side of our front gate and from now on we will be trimming it back weekly so we can get in the gate. The flowers are spectacular and a favorite of honeybees. I cut only the oldest flowers off this variety to keep it blooming.