Dark Opal basil
Ocimum basilicum 'Dark Opal'
AAS Winner 1962
USDA zones3 to 11
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size12 to 24 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Ascending
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Red, purple, green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Dark Opal' basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Dark Opal') is an herb for containers, borders, and food gardens. It is typically grown as an annual. It is not cold-hardy and will not survive freezing temperatures. This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist, sandy or loamy soil. Its fragrant red leaves grow fast, and bees and butterflies visit the blooms. Deer and rabbits tend to pass it by.
Pairs well with Bouquet dill, Bull's Blood beet, and Chicory.