Dear Garden Coach: Why is my basil so tough? I planted sweet basil in a barrel with tomatoes, and it is watered deeply. The plants grow well, but the basil leaves are tough. They smell great and taste OK, but I must julienne them before eating. Any ideas? Thanks
— B.R. Flannery, Pittsburg
Dear B.: Here is some general information about basil, since there are many types, and some are more tender than others.
Lettuce leaf, a Japanese basil, is one of my favorites because the leaves are large and tender. However, for all basils, the tender leaves are the newest. I begin pinching my basil soon after it is planted. This encourages the creation of new leaves, and the ones I harvest are tender.
Basil should never be allowed to flower. Once it begins flowering, the flavor of the leaves becomes bitter, and the leaves get tough.
Dear Garden Coach: Perhaps you might have some suggestions: We have several daylilies that seem to be growing well, receive water via a drip system, and are in the sun most of the day. But they don’t produce the beautiful flowers I see in yards around the neighborhood. We live in Clayton, where it does get quite warm in summer months. Any suggestions?
— Larry B.
Dear Larry: It seems that your daylillies should be blooming, based on how you are growing them. I will give you general cultural information about growing daylilies that may help, since I am not sure what variety you have and how you are caring for them.
The first thing with all plants, perennials and shrubs in particular, is they need to have a layer of compost or some other organic amendment added to the soil each year. Often I go to gardens that are many years old, and the homeowner has done nothing to the soil since the plants were put in. The microorganisms in the yearly layer of compost feed the plants, which helps with flower production.
Deadheading, or removing seed pods after they bloom is important; plants that are producing seeds tend to have fewer flowers the following year.
I am not sure how old your daylillies are, but as the clumps grow larger they begin to flower less, while continuing to produce an abundance of foliage. Like iris, daylilies benefit from being divided every few years, which encourages more blooms.
Daylillies are rhizomatous, having a modified underground that sends out roots and stems. Ginger and bearded iris are also examples of plants with modified stems.
To divide the plants, use a garden fork, and remove some of the rhizomes from the outer part of the clump. When replanting, it is important to keep the crown (the point where foliage and roots join) of the rhizome no more than one inch below soil. This is true for your established, as well. Burying the plant under a lot of soil can cause the rhizome to rot.
Not every daylily is the same; your neighbors may have plants that are re-bloomers, meaning they have a succession of blooms throughout the season. You may have an early-season variety that blooms in spring but does not continue blooming during summer. Visit the website for the American Hemerocallis Society (www.daylilies.org/AHSFAQsNew.html) for more information.
Patrice Hanlon answers your gardening questions every other week. Send questions to her at thegardencoachBANG@gmail.com.
