Caring for an Italian Herb Garden
There is a marvelous amount of possibilities in growing your own Italian herb garden. Italy is the source of some of the best known and most delicious herbs in the world. Italy is widely known for its best cuisines partly because of the herbs used in cooking.
Basil is a well know Italian herb and useful in many Italian recipes. Basil not only enhances the flavor of many Italian cuisines but also support other plants in the garden. The flavor of peppers and tomatoes will greatly improve if they are grown right next to basil. Basil is also an insect repellent that will help your Italian herb garden.
Parsley is a relatively hard herb plant to grow in an Italian herb garden but it is useful in not only Italian dishes but many other types of cuisines. Before breath mints were popularly used, it was a tradition to eat fresh parsley after a meal to remove bad breath. The tradition arose to serve parsley on a small dish after the meal. The tradition lives today by using parsley as a garnish on a variety of meals.
Besides being flavorful, oregano is also decorative. When it is fully mature it will sprout pretty little purple flowers. Oregano should not be harvested until it has flowered because this is when the plant is most flavorful.
Fennel is famous for its seeds that grace and enhance the flavors of Italian
sausage. The interesting thing about fennel is that the plant loses its flavor as it matures. It is a perennial plant that should be divided and replanted in an Italian herb garden every few years to savor its flavor.
Like basil, rosemary is an Italian herb that is beneficial to the garden. It grows into a large shrub that sprouts pretty little blue flowers. It helps the Italian herb garden by attracting bees. Although it is a tough evergreen perennial, it is sensitive to frost.
Garlic is probably the most popular herb in Italian cuisine. An Italian herb garden is not complete without this very versatile herb. Garlic cloves will grow in any type of soil even with very little attention. They can be stored to be used at a later time after they are harvested by freezing them or pickling them to store in the refrigerator.
Sage is used to flavor a variety of Italian meat and salad dishes. New shoots of the plant contain the most flavor so it is recommended not to let sage plants to get to woody by keeping them trim. Young shoots will start to sprout. Sage can be harvested after it blooms.
Although there are so many more herbs that can be included in an Italian herb garden, you really should consider which herbs you will use. You need to determine whether or not you can provide the conditions necessary to grow these plants.
Italian herbs should be considered as more than something that just improves the flavor of food. They also enhance the beauty of landscape designs. They can be displayed for color and their aroma. By planting Italian herbs amongst other plants, you will be graced with the sweet aromas straight from Italy. Having an Italian herb garden will be like taking a stroll on a Italian hill side.
