Chelsea Special Dark Basil Hydro-herb
Specially selected to complement the planting scheme of our 2025 Show Garden on Main
Avenue, this Dark Basil Hydro-herb kit contains everything that you need to grow a repeat crop
of the stunningly beautiful purple - almost black - leaves, which will make a delightful addition to
your recipes and salads.
Dark Basil is noted for its striking foliage and delicate liquorice scent,
an annual or biennial herb with stunning deep purple, almost black leaves.
Dark Basil leaves have a fragrant aroma and mild taste best suited for
flavouring both fresh and cooked preparations.
The purple leaves can be lightly torn or crushed and tossed into green
salads, used whole as an edible garnish on fruit and cheese platters, or
roughly chopped and mixed into pasta and stir-fries.
Grow your houseplant collection with help from The Glasshouse, a social enterprise creating opportunities for women with lived prison experience through horticulture.
Their plants start life in the glasshouses at HM Prison East Sutton Park in Kent, where ex-offenders grow and nurture them. While working on the project, they train for a level 2 RHS horticultural qualification, learning everything from propagation to design. The programme is a stepping stone – away from past mistakes and the prospect of reoffending, towards a fresh start and employment in the future.
As well as the practical horticulture skills, hanging out with plants has some amazing benefits for people involved in the project too – as it can for everyone. Being close to nature and greenery can bring productivity levels up, anxiety levels down, fill the air with more oxygen and be a positive influence in many other ways.
The Glasshouse continues to support women with lived prison experience who join their project beyond their time in the glasshouses too, helping the women keep moving forward upon release. The two things which most often lead to reoffending are lack of secure housing and employment. So, they help in linking people up with job placements and housing.
Add to your houseplant family with one of their lovingly raised plants and know it’s already been a force for good.
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