critterologist said:

I do get a little obsessed about basil... so many fun kinds to try! I like growing different thymes, too... there are a lot of scent/flavor/color/texture variations there, especially among the various "creeping" thymes.

I experimented for a while with some of the fancy mint hybrids from Jim Westerfield, but I lost most of them (in pots) one year and have pretty much just stuck with Chocolate Peppermint and Kentucky Colonel Spearmint now... although I think there's still some variegated pineapple mint running around in another spot.

The only mint I ever grew was a native called Mountain Mint. Not sure that it was really a mint though but the bees sure loved those flowers.

As to Basil, I myself am only interested in the Sweet or Genovese type. I have tried variations of those. Just want the Basil that goes with Summer Tomatoes.

As to those Fancy kinds I am not a great cook and would never ever use them.

Which reminds me to say my basil seedlings are putting out some growth as I am at last seeing true leaves on them.

Maybe today is a good day to start my Dill and Cilantro Seedlings.

My herbs that I ever grow are Parsley, Dill, Cilantro and Basil. Last year I didn't grow any Parsley and probably not going to this year either but maybe I will.

The fancier mints and basils are more for sniffing and nibbling than culinary use, IMO. I tried them in tea just for kicks, then went back to peppermint. I'll put a little lime or lemon basil into a salad or a fresh salsa, and I've heard of people using cinnamon basil in fruit salad, but my green Genovese types are my cooking staples.

I've grown saffron crocus, but for me they die out in a few years. They sure are fun, though! @cliftoncat, if you first saw growth on them in Feb, well that's when my "regular" spring-blooming crocuses (crocci?) put up leaves, so... I'd try again with some new "saffron" bulbs.

So I just set up and started indoors, Bok Choi, Parsley, Cilantro and Dill.

Thanks, Neal, thanks, Jill, for the advice on the saffron crocuses. I'll let ours keep growing for the rest of the season and hope they at least give us one or two flowers (out of the 200 plants!) If so, perhaps we'll know whether they're even the right sort of crocus...

Hi Jill, good to "see" you again!

A combo that worked really well for me is woolly thyme as a ground cover for autumn crocus. The thyme stays very flat to the earth, allowing the crocus to really shine. It also reminds me that's where the crocus are planted. Its almost evergreen, so there's a year round reminder for me.

I had a corner planted with autumn crocus that never bloomed, never. That corner is now overrun with snow-on-the-mountain, and the crocus foliage is a distant memory. I have some woolly thyme on one edge of my little "rock garden" between driveways, sidewalk, and street... no weeds even try to overgrow it in that spot! It's a sweet little plant, just hard to find a good spot for it because it's SO low.

I grow parsley ( lots & lots of parsley), basil ( Italian & Purple Ruffled), Greek oregano, Mexican oregano, thyme, lemon balm, rosemary and this spring I added a new herb…. Apple Mint. Put it in a big pot, though, as it grows like mad & can be quite invasive. It smells marvelous.

applevalle said:I grow parsley ( lots & lots of parsley), basil ( Italian & Purple Ruffled), Greek oregano, Mexican oregano, thyme, lemon balm, rosemary and this spring I added a new herb…. Apple Mint. Put it in a big pot, though, as it grows like mad & can be quite invasive. It smells marvelous.

Sounds like a good selection of herbs.

I planted so much Dill this year. All in planters. I don't know why but so far it has all died. I started new seeds again.

I like to make vinegar with the dark purple basil. It has the basil flavor and nice color.

Lost my chocolate mint. Can't find a chocolate enough replacement locally. I pinch and sniff the ones in the stores. Have a huge pot of the variegated pineapple mint. That is a hardy one.

I like hyssop in tea .... the original non fancy agastache.

I am getting good at killing potted rosemary, but I keep trying. I want fresh rosemary year round.

Potted rosemary needs very little water if you bring it into the house in winter. Stick your finger in the pot to see if the soil is dry a couple inches down before you water it. Good air circulation will help prevent powdery mildew and the like. Good luck!

I too have thymes in my garden. They are so healthy.

Cottage_Rose said:

What species/variety is this?

My guess would be "mother of thyme," T. serpyllum