Garden Wisdom Blog — how-to-grow

About Arugula Arugula is a low-growing member of the Brassica family that forms rosettes that resemble a cross between lettuce and dandelions. Its leaves have deep, round indentations reminiscent of oak leaves. These, as well as the flowers and seed pods are edible. Arugula grows naturally all around the Mediterranean, and has been collected since Roman times from the wild. It only really caught on as a salad green for garden cultivation in the early 1990s. Traditionally, arugula is yet another vegetable (as we shall see) thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. There are numerous varieties of Arugula to choose from....

Basil is a heat-loving annual plant grown for use as a culinary herb. Many varieties exist, with subtle differences in flavour, growth habit, leaf colour, and so on. All have a rich, pungent taste and scent reminiscent of anise and cloves. This plant has been cultivated for over 5,000 years, originally from India to Persia, but has spread globally. The ancient Greeks knew about basil and its culinary and medicinal properties. Curiously, many ancient Romans believed that basil seeds would not germinate unless without first being cursed. Though we tend to think of it as an Italian herb, basil is...