As most of my gardening attention shifts to houseplants and things I can grow inside, I wanted to share one of my favorite container gardens. It is a countertop bonsai garden made with herbs that I created last year for the Summer 2015 Issue of PITH + VIGOR.
The stems of variegated basil are almost woody and seemed ideal for pruning into a bonsai. Of course this isn’t real bonsai, just sort of. And I can hardly claim to be a bonsai artist, but just thinking about the cuts and how they look like a little tree makes me feel a little more artistic.
You may also be able to find Basil bonsai trees in your garden center – they are miniature versions of the popular herb, perfect for indoor gardening. These small, compact plants can be grown in containers and require also regular pruning to maintain their shape. They thrive in well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight.
At first the clippings were purely to sculpt the tiny herbs into a miniature landscape (and make a nice dinner), but with each kitchen creation more tiny snippets were taken and a diminutive garden continually took a new shape.
Bonsai Herb Garden Plants:
- Ocimum x citriodorum ‘Pesto Perpetuo’ (Variegated Basil)
- Thymus pseudolanuginosis (Wooly Thyme)
- Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)
- Lavender ‘Niko’
- Selaginella
- Sheet moss
Container:
- Mezzo Mod Dish in (Not So) Mellow Yellow from Steel Life.
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