Last year I grew Purple Ruffles basil and loved it for the incredibly deep color and intense flavor. I collected seed from it, but it is hybrid. So I now have a dozen seedlings, I guess you would call it F1 generation. They have true leaves now, so I can get a sense of what they will be. Of the dozen 5 are basically totally purple with a teeny green edge on the cotyledons. 2 are totally green. The other 5 are various mixtures/ variegations with splotches of green and purple.
I think it is really interesting and will be fun to see how they grow out and if there are flavor/ fragrance differences as well as color.
- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
- skiingjeff
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:22 pm
- Location: Western Massachusetts Zone 6a
We planted purple opal basil last year and our very hot and sunny garden area was a bit too much for it It does seem to like less sun than the green variety. We don't have much shade in our yard at all.rainbowgardener wrote:I didn't have any trouble with the commercial Purple Ruffles seed I planted last year. They all came out really dark purple. IME they don't like as much sun as the greens.
Maybe it is the type we planted, but we weren't too fond of the purple ones. Maybe next year we'll try it again once we find an area with less sun.
I believe your plants last year were the F1, Rainbow'.
I really have no interest in purple basil for the kitchen altho' some folks claim it is a very good choice for drying.
Still, I have Opal every year. The variable nature of that variety is appreciated in my mixed borders. Very pretty plants.
Steve
I really have no interest in purple basil for the kitchen altho' some folks claim it is a very good choice for drying.
Still, I have Opal every year. The variable nature of that variety is appreciated in my mixed borders. Very pretty plants.
Steve