All-America Selection winner Basil Lemon Sweet Dani offers a different scent from the common Italian (Genovese) basil varieties you may accustomed to. This fragrance is pure, clean, and citrusy in nature, overlaid with the familiar basil spicy tang that is so irresistible. You're going to love this fast-growing, large-leaved, very productive beauty!
Lemon Sweet Dani is a vigorous variety, shooting quickly up to 26 inches high and 10 to 14 inches wide when grown as an ornamental. Its unusual white flowers last fully two weeks longer than others, bringing more butterflies and bees into the garden over a longer season. If you are growing this basil as an ornamental or as a guard plant for the vegetable garden (it is particularly effective at warding off hornworms, aphids, and mites), you will find it robust and ready to go.
And if you want to use Lemon Sweet Dani as a culinary herb, be prepared for heavy yields over a long season! The leaves are large, and the stems packed with rich lemony oil. This is a pucker-worthy lemon basil you will adore!
Lemon Sweet Dani is easy to grow from seed, whether you begin the seeds indoors in late winter or in the warm garden soil in spring. If starting indoors, sow about 6 weeks before last forecasted frost. The seeds should germinate in 5 to 10 days, and the seedlings ready to transplant when they have two sets of true leaves. If starting outdoors, wait until the soil is warm, then cover the seeds with ¼-inch of soil. When the seedlings are a few inches high, thin them to 12 to 15 inches apart.
When Lemon Sweet Dani is about 6 weeks old, pinch off the central growing stem. This will encourage side shoots to develop. Even if you are growing the basil for ornamental effect, you will want it bushier and more full. Then, if you are growing the herb for culinary use, cut back the stems every time they sport more than 8 leaves. Trim back to the first set of leaves, and they will regrow all the faster and bigger! With regular trimmings, you can harvest nearly a cup of basil leaves a week from each plant this way! Or, if you prefer, harvest the whole plant at once, just as the flower buds are set to open.
Basil loves hot weather and plenty of sunshine, but it needs consistently moist, rich soil. Mulch the plants to retain moisture, and water heavily during dry spells. That's all there is to it! Enjoy this exceptional variety. Pkt is 100 seeds.
Basil is a sun-loving annual herb that is among the most popular in the world for flavoring food. Native to Asia, it was carried from India to Egypt to Greece in the ancient world, and remains a mainstay of cuisine in many cultures. In the garden, it is often grown alongside tomatoes, and is considered a guard plant protecting veggies and flowering plants from some predators.
Choosing a Basil Variety
Selecting which basil to grow is the most difficult part of gardening with this scrumptious herb! Most have green leaves and either pink or purple blooms, though some sport purple-toned foliage. We recommend that for growing indoors, you select dwarf varieties. There are many delectable choices:
Sweet Basil - Used in French, Italian, Greek, and other Mediterranean cuisines, these varieties are mildly flavored yet strongly aromatic, an irresistible combination! Nufar Hybrid is a Genovese type that resists fusarium wilt, making it one of the easiest to grow. Large Leaf Italian is among the most popular for fresh or dried use. And Pistou is a very compact French variety with a sweet, mild bite.
Spicy Basil - A mainstay of Oriental cuisine, these varieties pack a stronger, spicier bite than their sweet cousins. AAS winner Thai Siam Queen delivers zingy flavor on extra-large plants that produce very heavily, while unusual Cinnamon uniquely combines the sweet with the spicy!
Citrus Basil - Combining lemon or lime flavors with traditional basil flavor makes a superb addition to drinks and desserts! One of our favorites is Mrs. Burns' Lemon, an heirloom variety from New Mexico with lip-puckering intensity. Lime is indispensable for Thai cuisine, and its dwarf habit makes it a must-have in the indoor kitchen garden.
Can't decide where to begin? We recommend that you save money with our sampler platter -- the Culinary Collection! You'll get a packet each of 4 of our very best: one Genovese, one French, one lemon, and one purple-leaf!
When to Start Basil Seeds
To grow basil indoors, sow the seeds at any time of year. To grow in the garden, begin seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before anticipated transplant date. Transplant the seedlings or sow seeds directly into the soil only when daytime temperatures are in the 70's and nighttime temps remain above 50°F.
How to Start Basil Seeds
Drop one seed into each bio sponge of your Bio Dome, or sow on top of a seed flat and lightly cover with vermiculite. Germination occurs in 5 to 15 days at any temperature between 65 and 85°F. Transplant the seedlings anytime after they have 2 sets of true leaves.
Special Considerations
Growing Tips for Basil Plants
Pests and Problems to Watch For
Outdoors, slugs and beetles can nibble the leaves. Using a sharp mulch will discourage their approach.
Indoors, aphids can become a problem. Check the undersides of new leaves very carefully for signs of these tiny white creatures, and spray leaves on both sides to keep them clean.
This culinary herb is grown in ground in the garden, but also transitions well to container culture. The purple-leaved types are highly ornamental. Plants grow 15-24 inches tall and wide and produce ornamentally unimportant, white or purplish flowers in the summer. It is grown for the broad, dark green or dark purple, aromatic foliage. Depending on the variety, the foliage will be redolent of clove, anise, cinnamon, lemon, rose, or orange. Harvest the leaves at any time for fresh use. To dry them for storage, harvest the leaves as the flowers begin to open
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
All-America Selection winner Basil Lemon Sweet Dani offers a different scent from the common Italian (Genovese) basil varieties you may accustomed to. This fragrance is pure, clean, and citrusy in nature, overlaid with the familiar basil spicy tang that is so irresistible. You're going to love this fast-growing, large-leaved, very productive beauty!
Lemon Sweet Dani is a vigorous variety, shooting quickly up to 26 inches high and 10 to 14 inches wide when grown as an ornamental. Its unusual white flowers last fully two weeks longer than others, bringing more butterflies and bees into the garden over a longer season. If you are growing this basil as an ornamental or as a guard plant for the vegetable garden (it is particularly effective at warding off hornworms, aphids, and mites), you will find it robust and ready to go.
And if you want to use Lemon Sweet Dani as a culinary herb, be prepared for heavy yields over a long season! The leaves are large, and the stems packed with rich lemony oil. This is a pucker-worthy lemon basil you will adore!
Lemon Sweet Dani is easy to grow from seed, whether you begin the seeds indoors in late winter or in the warm garden soil in spring. If starting indoors, sow about 6 weeks before last forecasted frost. The seeds should germinate in 5 to 10 days, and the seedlings ready to transplant when they have two sets of true leaves. If starting outdoors, wait until the soil is warm, then cover the seeds with ¼-inch of soil. When the seedlings are a few inches high, thin them to 12 to 15 inches apart.
When Lemon Sweet Dani is about 6 weeks old, pinch off the central growing stem. This will encourage side shoots to develop. Even if you are growing the basil for ornamental effect, you will want it bushier and more full. Then, if you are growing the herb for culinary use, cut back the stems every time they sport more than 8 leaves. Trim back to the first set of leaves, and they will regrow all the faster and bigger! With regular trimmings, you can harvest nearly a cup of basil leaves a week from each plant this way! Or, if you prefer, harvest the whole plant at once, just as the flower buds are set to open.
Basil loves hot weather and plenty of sunshine, but it needs consistently moist, rich soil. Mulch the plants to retain moisture, and water heavily during dry spells. That's all there is to it! Enjoy this exceptional variety. Pkt is 100 seeds.
Basil is a sun-loving annual herb that is among the most popular in the world for flavoring food. Native to Asia, it was carried from India to Egypt to Greece in the ancient world, and remains a mainstay of cuisine in many cultures. In the garden, it is often grown alongside tomatoes, and is considered a guard plant protecting veggies and flowering plants from some predators.
Choosing a Basil Variety
Selecting which basil to grow is the most difficult part of gardening with this scrumptious herb! Most have green leaves and either pink or purple blooms, though some sport purple-toned foliage. We recommend that for growing indoors, you select dwarf varieties. There are many delectable choices:
Sweet Basil - Used in French, Italian, Greek, and other Mediterranean cuisines, these varieties are mildly flavored yet strongly aromatic, an irresistible combination! Nufar Hybrid is a Genovese type that resists fusarium wilt, making it one of the easiest to grow. Large Leaf Italian is among the most popular for fresh or dried use. And Pistou is a very compact French variety with a sweet, mild bite.
Spicy Basil - A mainstay of Oriental cuisine, these varieties pack a stronger, spicier bite than their sweet cousins. AAS winner Thai Siam Queen delivers zingy flavor on extra-large plants that produce very heavily, while unusual Cinnamon uniquely combines the sweet with the spicy!
Citrus Basil - Combining lemon or lime flavors with traditional basil flavor makes a superb addition to drinks and desserts! One of our favorites is Mrs. Burns' Lemon, an heirloom variety from New Mexico with lip-puckering intensity. Lime is indispensable for Thai cuisine, and its dwarf habit makes it a must-have in the indoor kitchen garden.
Can't decide where to begin? We recommend that you save money with our sampler platter -- the Culinary Collection! You'll get a packet each of 4 of our very best: one Genovese, one French, one lemon, and one purple-leaf!
When to Start Basil Seeds
To grow basil indoors, sow the seeds at any time of year. To grow in the garden, begin seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before anticipated transplant date. Transplant the seedlings or sow seeds directly into the soil only when daytime temperatures are in the 70's and nighttime temps remain above 50°F.
How to Start Basil Seeds
Drop one seed into each bio sponge of your Bio Dome, or sow on top of a seed flat and lightly cover with vermiculite. Germination occurs in 5 to 15 days at any temperature between 65 and 85°F. Transplant the seedlings anytime after they have 2 sets of true leaves.
Special Considerations
Growing Tips for Basil Plants
Pests and Problems to Watch For
Outdoors, slugs and beetles can nibble the leaves. Using a sharp mulch will discourage their approach.
Indoors, aphids can become a problem. Check the undersides of new leaves very carefully for signs of these tiny white creatures, and spray leaves on both sides to keep them clean.
This culinary herb is grown in ground in the garden, but also transitions well to container culture. The purple-leaved types are highly ornamental. Plants grow 15-24 inches tall and wide and produce ornamentally unimportant, white or purplish flowers in the summer. It is grown for the broad, dark green or dark purple, aromatic foliage. Depending on the variety, the foliage will be redolent of clove, anise, cinnamon, lemon, rose, or orange. Harvest the leaves at any time for fresh use. To dry them for storage, harvest the leaves as the flowers begin to open
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.