Basil Dark Purple Opal color makes this one extra flavorful, rich and sweet. The fragrant deep-violet foliage will accent your floral designs with drama and perfume. Many gardeners choose to dapple the landscape with dark purple foliage, as it accents brightly colored flowers and vegetables beautifully. This variety was bred at the University of Connecticut in the 1950s, when Professor Joseph M. Lent and his colleague John Scarchuck set out to improve the existing purple basil variety, which had inconsistent color issues. A purple-splotched variety from Turkey was selected from countless samples from across the globe. The result was this deeply purple, vigorous variety which they named Dark Opal. This exemplary basil took home a bronze medal in the 1962 All America’s Selection award.
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- 8-12 hours of Sun
- Sprouts in 6-10 Days
- Ideal Temperature: 70-85 Degrees F
- Seed Depth: 1/4″
- Plant Spacing: 8-12″
- Frost Hardy: No
- Ocimum basilicum
Growing Tips: Thrives in heat. May be sown in place in long-summer areas, or started indoors and set out after last-frost date of spring. Remove flower buds promptly to prolong harvest.
- Mid-size plant has a unique, bushy habit with shorter internodes that shows better at retail than traditional basils and holds its controlled size in the garden without getting tall and leggy.
- More usable leaf yields, with traditional sweet Genovese basil flavour.
All-America Selections Winner
Sunlight | Soil | Water | Temperature | Fertilizer |
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Full sun to partial shade | Moist, well-drained soil | Moderate | 18 to 28 degrees C | Basil needs little organic Fertilizer, should be added to the soil before planting. |
Basil Dark Purple Opal
- Pinch or prune basil plants as they grow to promote branching and bushiness.
- Never cut into the woody parts of a stem.
- Basil flower buds should be removed by pinching as soon as you see them form.
Harvesting
Limited harvesting of the leaves can start on young plants and as they get larger, individual leaves as well as tips of the plants can be harvested.
Typical uses of Basil Dark Purple Opal
Special features: Flavor
Culinary use: It is used to flavor soups, stews, tomato dishes, meat, game, fish, egg dishes, herb butters and herb vinegar.
Ornamental use: It can be planted for an ornamental use.
Medicinal use: It has many medicinal properties.
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