{"id":39316,"date":"2025-01-09T23:27:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T07:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/?post_type=product&#038;p=39316"},"modified":"2026-07-17T05:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T12:19:11","slug":"basil-sweet-dark-opal","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/product\/basil-sweet-dark-opal\/","title":{"rendered":"Basil, Sweet &#8216;Dark Opal&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em style=\"font-style: italic;\">Ocimum basilicum <\/em><i>| <\/i>Sweet Basil &#8216;Dark Opal&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Sweet Basil (<em>Ocimum basilicum<\/em>), also commonly known as Great Basil, Mexican Basil was developed by John Scarchuk and Joseph Lent at the University of Connecticut in the 1950s.<\/p>\n<p>is an herbaceous annual plant that&#8217;s cultivated worldwide for use as a culinary herb. Plants reach about 18 inches tall and produce beautiful pink flowers and large deep purple, almost black, sometimes mottled leaves that are highly aromatic with a warm, licorice clove-like scent and a mild, earthy flavor. The leaves may even be the darkest foliage variety of basil out there. Like other purple basils and purple plants, &#8216;Dark Opal&#8217; has a high concentration of anthocyanins and is considered a potential source of red pigments for the food industry. It&#8217;s grown as much for its decorative appeal as it is for its culinary value, plus the plants look stunning mixed with vibrant colored plants.<\/p>\n<p>Square stems produce terminal flower spikes that reach 8 inches tall in summer. The small, white flowers are attractive to insect pollinators, including honey bees, but are sometimes removed to increase the yield of the leaves.<\/p>\n<p>The genus name,<em> Ocimum<\/em>, is derived from the Greek &#8216;okimon&#8217; which means &#8216;to smell&#8217;, in reference to the strong odors of the foliage.<\/p>\n<p>Sweet basil prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soils with little competition for sun or water. Will grow in partial shade, but with less&#8217; vigor. Plants are highly frost sensitive and must be protected against temperatures that come close to freezing. To avoid &#8216;damping off&#8217; disease, basil plants should not be over-watered. Pinch tops to encourage bushier growth.<\/p>\n<p>Sow seeds indoors 6 weeks before your last frost, using heat, humidity, and light. Transplant plants outside only after your last frost and night temps have reached an average of 45 degrees<\/p>\n<p>1962 winner of the All-American Selection award.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Type: Annual<\/p>\n<p>Sun exposure: Full sun<\/p>\n<p>Mature height: 16-18 inches<\/p>\n<p>Mature width: 8-12 inches<\/p>\n<p>Hardiness zones: Annual- all. Perennial in zones 10+.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>30 seeds<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":39331,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[2602,2598,4596,4603,4602,4604,2619,4599,2852,4669,4642],"product_tag":[4633],"class_list":["post-39316","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-all-seeds","product_cat-annuals","product_cat-aromatic","product_cat-attracts-hummingbirds","product_cat-award-winners","product_cat-deer-resistant","product_cat-edibles","product_cat-flowers","product_cat-herb","product_cat-new-returning","product_cat-seeds","product_tag-award-winner","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple","add-to-wishlist-before_image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/39316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=39316"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=39316"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athousandflowers.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=39316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}