Purple Ruffles is probably the prettiest of basils, if not of all herbs.
With handsome dark purple-black fringed leaves that are heavily ruffled and fringed, it produces spikes of large and showy, pinkish-purple flowers. While it deserves a place in your kitchen garden, it also makes an excellent contrasting plant in a border.

Tempting though it is to leave and admire your Purple Ruffles, one taste will have you tearing the leaves of by the armful. More complex than other basils, you will find tones of anise (liquorice), cinnamon and perhaps even citrus. The colourful leaves are full of flavour, aromatic when crushed and are especially fine for herb vinegars and for garnishing.
If you grow in your flower beds please leave some to flower in the summer. The delicate purple flowers are a real delight and the bees love them. Unlike most varieties of basil, Purple Ruffles can tolerate a little shade, especially in the afternoon. Just make sure that it manages to bask for at least three hours a day.

It is also a deserved winner of the much overlooked Mississippi Medallion Award for “beauty, flavour and ease of cultivation”!

Also awarded the prestigious All American Selection

Timing:
Sow at any time if the plant is to be kept indoors. If sowing inside and planting outside, you can sow in late February onwards. It is vital that Basil is not exposed to the last spring frosts so if sowing outside be patient and sow in late May.

Prepare the site:
Purple Ruffles should be grown in a position that receives sunlight for around 3 hours a day. It can be grown indoors on a sunny windowsill or outdoors in containers or soil. Position the Basil in a sheltered spot that avoids cold winds.
If growing outdoors: Basil likes a fertile soil that has been well dug to allow good soil air circulation. Introducing well rotted organic compost or manure into the soil a month or so before sowing will help this. Before sowing ensure that the compost or soil is weed free and moist.
If growing in pots then a general purpose compost is a suitable soil solution. Ensure that adequate drainage is allowed from the base of the pot.

Sowing:
Sow the seed thinly and if growing in pots sow enough for a few plants in each pot. Cover with ½ cm of compost and firm gently. Basil seeds germinate in under a week. Once the seedlings have developed 2 pairs of true leaves, thin out the weakest seedlings, leaving each pots strongest.

Tending.
If growing indoors in pots then weeds shouldn't be a problem. If growing outdoors then you can add organic mulch around the plants to help aid soil moisture retention and prevent weed establishment. Add a small amount of fertiliser every month or so to any pot plants. Water at the base of the plant avoiding showering the leaves and stems. Be sure to pinch out any flowers that appear. This will help preserve the plants flavour and also channel the plants energies into more leaf growth.

Harvesting:
Basil is a pick and come again crop. Pick a few leaves off a number of plants, harvest the top most leaves first. Basil will grow all year round indoors but outdoor plants should be dug up and brought indoors before the first autumn frosts if you want to extend the plants growing season. Never harvest more than one third of any herb plant so that it can recover from the pruning.

Storing:
Basil can be used in fresh or dried form. Cut the stems at soil level and hang bunches up to air dry in a warm room for about a week, then remove them from the stems Store them in a dry airtight container for up to 12 months. Basil can also be frozen for later use

Companion Plants:
When interplanted, basil is said to improve the taste of tomatoes and peppers, as well as repelling hornworms and aphids. Basil is also the one herb reputed to repel mosquitoes around its growing place.

Nomenclature:
Basil's English name and botanical species name may come from the Greek, basilikon, meaning king, or the Latin basilicus, meaning royal.