Perennial, herbaceous, ornamental culinary herb, popular for its unique flavour and beautiful flowers. Highly mint and sage scented and flavoured leaves add a unique touch to herbal teas, soups, stews, vegetable, meat dishes, sauces etc. This compact plant looks very lovely both in herb and flower gardens. It's a good companion for cabbage by attracting honeybees and butterflies while repeling cabbage moth larvae and cabbage butterflies. It's also said to stimulate the growth of grapes. Can be grown outdoors and potted indoors on windowsills, balconies etc.
Growing: Year round in tropical climate. In temperate climates - spring, after the danger of last frost is gone, direct seeding indoors or outdoors.
Soil: well drained, fertile, rich in organic matter soil with a pH 6.5-7.
Sowing depth: scatter the seeds just beneath the surface and barely cover with extra layer of soil, as seeds need light to germinate.
Spacing: 6-12in (15-30cm) apart.
Light: full sun/partial shade.
Watering: regular to keep the soil moist (best when soil is dry to the touch, as adding extra water to a still moist soil creates excess moisture in deeper layers of soil, which often causes the rot of the seeds/roots).
Fertilizing: add rich compost into the soil prior planting.
USDA hardines zone 4-10.
Seeds germinate in 14-21 days (can take up to a month).
