Characteristics of Purple Basils

06/30/2009
There are a wide variety of purple basils currently available on the market, ranging in color from mottled purple and green, to dark purple to those with reddish tints. In general, purple basils tend to grow slower than green basils, be more prone to fungus and mold infections in the greenhouse, and possess milder flavors than the most popular green varieties, such as Genovese or Mammoth. We have grown a wide variety of purple basils over the past twenty years (including the popular varieties Dark Opal and Purple Ruffles) and have found that the most vigorous of the lot is Red Rubin Basil. Reddish purple in color, quick to germinate, relatively fast growing (for a purple basil) and remarkably hardy, in our opinion Red Rubin is the best choice for the home garden.