greenliving


Herbs that Beat the Heat Favorite Varieties that Flourish in Summer


by Barbara Pleasant S


ome of the best plants to keep as summer com- panions are herbs that enrich life with their flavors, fragrances and beauty. It’s not too late to pot up a few


herbs or plant them in the garden if we choose varieties that thrive in hot, summer weather.


Reliable Basils “I place basil as the number one herb in popularity, as well as heat tolerance,” says Cristina Spindler, owner of the Peconic River Herb Farm, in Calverton, New York. “Basil actually prefers heat.” There are many types, and green-leafed culinary


varieties are easy to grow through the summer, pro- vided they’re not allowed to dry out. Two particularly heat-hardy types are purple-leafed varieties such as red


40 NA Triangle www.natriangle.com


rubin and African blue, which debuted in 1983. “Purple basil is shockingly fragrant and beautiful on


the plate. Plus, it’s easy to grow in a small space and pro- duces quickly,” says Lisa Kessler, who for several years has co-owned with her husband, Ben, the White Hills Lavender and Herb Farm, in Dearing, Georgia. “The flowering tops are usable as herbs and as beautiful cut flowers, so don’t toss them away.” “African blue basil flourishes in summer heat and is an especially beneficial nectar plant for bees


and other pollinators,” says Traci Anderson, who has been running Seminole Springs Herb Farm, in Eustis,


Florida, in their family for more than 20 years. Vig- orous and heavy-flowering, it can grow to over three feet tall, and usually persists as a perennial in Florida,


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