In article m,
Glen Walpert wrote:

On Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:47:26 +0000, Bud wrote:

On 2011-01-05, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Why those two fairly pedestrian herbs?

Most culinary herbs are fairly pedestrian. However those two head my
list of least favorites... rosemary reminds me of Pine Sol terlit bowl
cleaner and basil is too medicinal, like licorice cough drops... I'd
much rather bay leaf and fennel seed.

Hmmm, doesn't take too much trouble to plant but you want to separate
those that need more water and those that need less. Do a bit of
research and find out which. Basil is a needed ingredient to me as well
as mint, oregano, parsley, tarragon and even rosemary which doesn't take
much if you like lamb. Gresh herbs are great!

I also grow cilantro, Italian broadleaf parsley, thyme and sage, but we
use basil the most and my favorite is rosemary, not for cooking but as an
ornamental. It is the only plant I have which reliably flowers all
winter long every winter, and it smells good. Wintering rosemary here in
zone 5 USA (Philadelphia area) so that they will bloom requires something
resembling a greenhouse (I keep mine on an enclosed front porch with
southern exposure and a heater to prevent freezing). They can also be
kept outside in a cold frame or in a well sheltered spot adjacent to a
building with southern exposure, but they will not bloom outside during
winter and harsh winters may kill them. Keeping them inside a heated
house is not a viable option, they will die before spring, so if this is
your only option then rosemary will be an annual for you, but if you can
winter them over they will get quite large and can be pruned into a
"standard" or other shape. I pruned one into a 4 foot tall Christmas
tree shape, pre-decorated with flowers, add lights and a few ornaments,
save a tree :-).

I've had luck growing Rosemary outside in a wall of water. Down to
just one out of four due to mole/voles . They don't grow too large but
we like it with roasted potatoes.

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden

"Always tell the truth and you don't have to remember anything."
--Mark Twain.