How To Do Organic Olive herbs Farming In India
A Bit like rosemary and smelling a bit like olive, this unusual herb gives extra flavour to salads, marinades and savoury dishes
The curious name of olive herb reflects the slightly olive-like smell and taste of this plant. The botanists, however, were commenting not on the fragrance, but the appearance of the narrow leaves when the species was named rosmarinifolia, which means this plant — or at least its leaves — looked like rosemary to the botanist who named it. This herb doesn't really look much like rosemary and certainly looks nothing like olive. Olive herb forms a low, flat, soft mound of green leaves.
It grows to about 30-50cm high and wide and in summer is likely to be a mass of round, bright-yellow flower heads. The flowers are highly attractive to insects. including bees, which is a very good reason to add this plant to the garden. The flowers can be picked and added to a posy.
It's the leaves that are eaten. The fresh leaves are stripped from the twigs (or use the soft leaves and tips) and chopped to add to a salad or savoury dish, or to include in a marinade for a hint of olive flavour. Try olive herb in pesto, pasta or olive paste. Try adding it as a garnish to asparagus that has been drenched in melted butter.
"The flowers are highly attractive to insects, including bees, which is a very good reason to add this plant to the garden. The flowers can be picked and added to a posy."
Gradening Tips To Grow Olive Herbs Organically
Like both rosemary and olives. this is a herb of the Mediterranean, so it's happiest growing in a hot, dry climate with well-drained soil in full sun or with a little afternoon shade. It tolerates frost but doesn't like cold, wet soils. Where soil is not well drained or space is tight, grow this plant in a pot or trough.
It could also be planted to spill over the edge of a raised bed. Prune after flowering to remove the spent flower heads and to keep the plant compact. Water this herb when times are dry and feed occasionally with organic fertiliser.
DID YOU KNOW?
The leaves can be used in cupboards to repel moths.
Scientific Details Of Olive Herbs
- Common names: Olive herb, lavender cotton
- Botanical name: Santolina rosmarinifolia
- Family: Asteraceae
- Aspect and soil: Full sun; well-drained soil
- Best climate: Subtropics, temperate, Mediterranean
- Habit: Perennial shrub
- Propagation: Cuttings, layering, potted plants
- Difficulty: Easy