Greek Columnar Basil

My GCB is about to bloom. This past Spring I read on this forum that GCB was grown from cuttings only. I bought a plant online from a source I read about also on this forum.

I have since rooted a cutting and have given my neighbor a cutting that she rooted. Surprisingly, the other day I noticed my big plant forming blossom head. I have the GCB growing between two sweet basils that has been in bloom since late Spring.

I don't want the GCB to cross with the sweet, so it would be best to destroy the sweets, right, or no? I wonder if it blooms will it set seed and will they germinate? What do y'all think?

Thanks,

Jerry

I just came in from taking this pic.

Here is a pic that shows how it compares to the sweets. The GCB is a real beauty and one I will always grow from now on.

This plant loves heat. We've had over 60 days in triple digits and barely 4" of rain in the past 3 - 4 months. The sweet basil hung on, but the CBS has thrived.

I would prune the blooms off the other basils but leave them in ground. I believe the only way it would cross with another basil is when both are in bloom.

OTOH, if it is only grown from cuttings, makes you wonder what the seeds will deliver...

I was at Festival Hill in Round Top yesterday and it was the first I'd heard of columnar basil. I'm really wanting to grow it, as I think it's lovely. The herbalist guru guy said that it was usually grown more for the flowers and more of an ornamental basil than the sweet basil. Anyway, where did you order yours from? I'd love to get some and get it planted before it gets cold.

dstarr

The flowers are lavender in color.....nice to look at.

Did the guru say if the flowers set seed or not? Maybe the seeds are muley. I dunno! It had to come from someplace, right?

You have a dmail.

Jerry

You're going to love this - He said the flowers were not known to set seed, so there was no reason to cut them off, but then he said the same thing - the seeds had to come from someplace, huh? HAHA! I think he was going to check into it right away - he hates to come up with something like that and not know the answer. If I hear back I'll let you know!