Basil Prospera

* Common name: Basil Prospera

* Botanical name: Ocimum basilicum hybrid Prospera

* What it is: Prospera is a new hybrid of traditional Genovese-type basil that Israeli breeders developed in 2021 to overcome a widespread downy mildew disease that’s been destroying basil. The disease causes yellowed, deformed, and spotted leaves that soon turn brown and fall off.

   Prospera is highly resistant to downy mildew as well as fusarium (another fungal disease that attacks basil), and it can be grown from seed, giving home gardeners a cheaper alternative to Amazel, another mildew-resistant basil that’s sold in plant form only.

   The leaves of Prospera are three inches long, glossy green, and slightly cupped. Plants are ready to begin snipping about 68 days after planting seeds in the garden.

* Size: Bushy habit, 18 to 20 inches tall.

* Where to use: A must for any herb garden and also fits well in any vegetable garden or container. Best in full sun but will tolerate light shade.

* Care: Plant young transplants in mid-May after all danger of frost has passed, or sow seeds then directly in pots or the in-ground garden. (Basil is very cold-sensitive.) Plants grow best in loose, rich, manure- or compost-enriched soil and with regular moisture.

   Keep soil damp, especially in pots, since excess heat and lack of water can affect the flavor. Fertilizer usually not needed.

   Harvest continually before flower buds form to encourage ongoing new growth. Leaves are best picked in the morning. You can also harvest all at once by cutting the entire plant back to about six inches, which will lead to a second full round of growth.

* Great partner: Works well surrounded by lower-growing cooking herbs, such as thyme, oregano, and chamomile. Or pair in the garden with a good culinary companion, tomatoes. Prospera Red is a dark-leafed sold by Johnny’s Selected Seeds that’s good-looking enough to offer color contrast in a flower garden or flower pot.