Boxwood Basil

Virtues: A compact, neat-as-a-pin habit and tiny leaves make this basil resemble a boxwood. A highly ornamental herb with great fragrance and flavor. Cute in a pot or planted as a very low hedge around vegetable or flower beds. Use the leaves in pasta dishes, soups and pesto. A quick grower in warm weather.

Common name: Boxwood basil

Botanical name:Ocimum basilicum 'Boxwood'

Foliage: Tiny, medium green and oval.

Habit: Rounded, bushy form, 8 to 14 inches tall and wide.

Season: Summer.

Cultivation: Grow in full sun, in well-drained soil. Likes moderate moisture. Can be clipped as a topiary. To use leaves in cooking, just clip what you need when you need it, making sure not to cut back to the woody part of the stem. To keep the plant bushy and productive, pinch off flower buds when they appear. Harvest completely before the first frost. Warm-season annual.

Image courtesy of Burpee.