i have always loved basil. it smells great, looks good, and is so easy to grow. for the past few years, i've planted sweet basil every spring. in astoria, i had it in a little pot on my windowsill. two years ago, i had a whole mess of it in the yard. i thought that i would just do the same this year...that is until i discovered basil trees. hhh and i were just strolling along manhattan avenue in greenpoint (he in search of records, me in search of something delicious) when i saw a row of small green planters topped by airy, leafy spheres. from far away, it almost looked like tiny boxwood. i ran inside the store to ask what they were, and the shopkeeper told me it was "tree basil." i scoffed and said, "that's not basil!" he said, "smell it. it's basil."

it's gotten a bit unruly since i've had it.

i've had the basil tree for a few weeks now, and keep it in the bedroom (where there's good southern light). it smells so good. today, i finally looked it up on the internet to see what the deal is. apparently basil trees are the grafted result of two strains of basil - one for trunk sturdiness and another Greek variety for tastiness. and amazingly, it's perennial and will live for up to five years. that means no annual replanting! (you do still have to bring it inside when it gets too cold out though.) it's even won prizes and stuff. i'm a fan.

but don't worry, sweet basil. there's room for more than one basil on carroll street.

it's an incredible fortune to have outdoor space in new york city. the yard, which is roughly the same size as my last studio apartment in astoria, really sold us on the place. even though i knew i'd be leaving soon for china - and be gone an entire year - i couldn't help but dig in (ha!). my obsession with plants grew quickly, now that i had all this square footage to work with.

previously, i channeled my energies into much smaller gardens.

that first summer, i planted a butterfly japanese maple, a profusion of ferns, a few hydrangeas, clusters of coleus, some ivy, a few herbs, and called it a day. i had no idea which plants would grow back the next year and which wouldn't. if there are plants in the photos i haven't mentioned, it's because i no longer remember their names. i didn't know what i was doing, but i still had a good time.

this is what the yard looked like our first summer here.

i also had a 2x2 patch of herbs (citronella, parsley, mint, basil, and rosemary) right by the door.

and then, i went to beijing and winter came. while i was away, i did a lot of pinning in lieu of planting. and now, it's almost spring again. i am so excited. technically, it's already spring. but there are no leaves on any trees along my street, so i'm pretty sure spring has not yet come to my part of brooklyn. in the next few weeks, i'm going to be taking it to a whole new level. stay tuned.

now, it looks like this. no snow, but still pretty barren.

okay, so it wasn't as if i did no gardening at all while in china. an old instagram from my beijing sill.