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taking basil indoors now? Sweet Annie ..?

13 years ago

I have never tried to bring the basil plant I always grow in the herb garden indoors for the winter but I sure miss having that fresh herb in winter! How successful would I be trying to dig up the plant & potting it to take indoors this winter? Is it a perennial & what kind of indoor conditions would it need? I usually just buy a new plant every spring but thought I might try over-wintering it if it were feasible? Of course here in zone 7 it wouldn't survive where it is outdoors. The Sweet Annie 'bushes'trees' outdoors are begining to dry so I have crumbled all those leaves into a pillowcase... oh, what a wonderful fragrance!! I had a difficult time starting any of it but now it has become a summer annual weed ... but I still love it! Anyone else try growing it?

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Comments (4)

User
13 years ago
I have had no luck keeping basil happy inside. It will not be happy to be dug and brought in. You should try growing in a pot to bring in but most houses do not provide enough light and air movement. Perhaps others who have had basil live for part of the winter can help.

As far as Sweet Annie I have been growing one type for about 17 years. To keep it going allow some of your plants to dry naturally and leave in place. Although Sweet Annie is supposed to be an annual you may want to look to see if you have small seedlings coming up in late November. I find that the ones that come up in the fall produce taller plants than the ones that sprout during the spring.

A caution with Sweet Annie, I sent a friend to the hospital when I waved a branch close to him. Some people can have very bad problems with it including allergies and asthma attacks.
fatamorgana2121
13 years ago
Regular basil? Nope. I've never overwintered it. In my opinion it is not worth the bother to only have it die anyways. Harvest it to the ground before it gets too cold in your location. Freeze the surplus to stretch your season.

I have overwintered holy basil but it is not the same. It is a perennial used medicinally and for tea. It pouts massively over the winter but will perk up when I move it outdoors the following spring/summer.

FataMorgana
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Sweet Annie is Artemesia annua, and like many of the Artemisias, it does tend to take over and become a weed. To prevent this happening, it is essential that you remove the flowers as they appear to stop the plant seld-seeding. I know of no culinary uses for it. Medicinally, it's used as a substitute for quinine in treating malaria. Also good for colds, dysentery, diarrhoea, indigestion, flatulence, heat stroke, tuberculosis and as a poultice on abscesses. Can be used both topically and internally for bacterial and fungal infections. Around the home, it's excellent for making floral wreaths or in arrangements. In sachets, it perfumes clothes and linen and helps deter insects. Warning: People susceptible to allergies should spray a little hair spray onto the stems before handling them. Can be toxic if taken in large or frequent doses or over an extended period of time.
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vieja_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
maifleur: I shall be careful now with the dried Sweet Annie I have! I love the fragrance but here it can be somewhat of a weed as I see it coming up all over. When young though I can recognise it easily & pull up all I don't want & just save a few. Is there any use for it except for its fragrance? I love it!
User
13 years ago
I wanted to double check before posting but China is using an extract for quinine resistant malaria. Several labortories are also researching the plant. Hopefully you never have malaria.

One of its nice uses is in making swags and wreaths for display.

It is interesting that a non-scented is now being sold as seed but in my wanderings I have found several different plants that appear morphs of sweet annie. The ones I have seen have different shaped leaves and like different growing conditions but smell the same or very similar. There is one in a riverside park near me that has a nice vanilla overtone but I have not been able to transplant and it is mowed down before frost when I gather most seeds.

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