We are having bright, hot, sunny days in Colombo, and my herb garden is thriving. Without exaggeration, I have a forest of basil on my rooftop right now. Ok, so that’s a slight exaggeration… 12 pots do not quite a forest make. I’ve been growing basil in my little potted herb garden since we moved into our place in Colombo – it is a delightful plant to grow, mainly because it requires very little care to do well. A cool drink every day and plenty of sunshine and it grows faster than my toddlers. As a relatively inexperienced herb-gardener, the abundance of basil didn’t always send me into a pesto-making frenzy. In the early days, I was so thrilled that my herbs were not just surviving but actually thriving, that I naively refrained from too much pruning. This was a mistake because the more vigorously one prunes basil, the more verdant and lush it grows. I now prune enthusiastically, which means that I have a constant, fresh supply of these fragrant, emerald leaves to hand.
