PlantFiles: Lemon Basil
Ocimum basilicum 'Sweet Dani'

Although I think the smell of "Mrs. Burns" lemon basil is more lemony, Sweet Dani still has a wonderful lemon fragrance. It also had both better germination rates and grew bigger and more vigorously than Mrs. Burns. The leaves are bigger than Mrs. Burns and whole branches can be wrapped with fish & butter in foil and grilled for a light flavor and lemony aroma. The plants I let go to flower attracted many polinators. It grew fine in both full desert sun and in partial shade. The ones in full sun tried to flower and go to seed much more stubornly than the ones in partial shade. As with other basils, it does well with neglect.

I mainly grow this variety for the scent and appearance (I just love to walk by and pinch off a leaf to smell, and sometimes I'll make a little on the spot garden snack out of the leaves along with a handful of cherry tomatoes ;)), but I also like to use it in cooking, salsas, and teas as well.

This is such a lovely herb to play with! I have a big azalea pot of it on my kitchen counter, and when folks stop in I give them a leaf to chew on! Their eyes roll, their smiles widen and they look at me and really grin!
No wonder at all why basil, whether lemon or any other kind, is called the "Sunny Herb".
Yum!
:)

Very lemony when fresh but does not dry well.

Wonderful aromatic scent. If you break leaf open, and smell, it is an excellent refresher. Also, this herb is rather easy to grow.

An excellent choice if you like lemon scented/flavored basils. More leaf production than my old lemon basil. And the leaves were a little larger although not by much. Strongly lemon scented. Made really nice bruschetta and a rather nice ice tea. All other standard basil uses would be fine.