This is a wonderully fragrant basil; it's flavor is a little spicier than sweet basil, but makes a lovely addition to many asian-inspired dishes. This plant likes to flower, but the flowers are such a beautiful color, I'm often tempted not to pinch them back. This plant can get fairly large, so give it a little room in your garden or container.

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This basil is more like a shrub because of the woody stems it makes as the plant matures. I've had one that became 3 feet tall and wide with woody branching by fall. I start plants from seeds every spring because its leaves are the most spicy of all I grow. Also because it's so decorative in a pot or the garden with its shiny smooth leaves and colorful flower heads.

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