It’s September, yay! Before I even knew the date, I could
smell something slightly different in the air. A hint of freshness. A tiny
preview of fall, complete with dried up sycamore leaves scattered in the yard. It
makes me rise up out of my summertime sluggishness. I notice the great blue
lobelia blooming and my energy level rises.
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| Great blue lobelia, a late summer beauty |
So much gets away from me in July and August that now starts
the catch-up, and I’m not even talking about all the work ahead of me with the
preserving, prepping and winterizing. Right now I’m only talking about the flowers
and herbs, after a summer of nature running free in this muggy, lush hollow.
That, and my mistakes such as planting cosmos in a raised bed full of compost.
They grew crazy, like Jack’s beanstalk. Eight foot plants covered with its pretty,
fern-like foliage but not a blossom in sight. Never even got a single bud. Fluffy
little trees.
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| Crazy 8-ft. cosmos with no flowers |
And then there’s holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), an
innocent looking little plant in a 3-inch pot on Mother’s Day that ended up a 5-foot
wide mound just two months later! A huge bugger, smothered my creeping thyme,
my precious mother of thyme.
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| One holy basil plant took over 25 square feet! |
It is lovely, though, isn’t it? And in its defense, here’s
some info about holy basil, or tulsi: It is an adaptogen in Ayurvedic medicine,
used most often for treating stress. It originates in the tropics of Southeast
Asia and is considered holy by the Hindus. That’s where the name holy basil
came from. It is also edible, having a strong anise flavor similar to other
basils (early in the season), and makes a nice tea. I dry it for a winter tea
that helps counter the effects of seasonal affective disorder. I’ve read that
it self-sows easily so I will never have to buy it again.
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