Spice Up Your Cooking with These 5 Beautiful Basils

I confess to being slightly (very) infatuated with basil. Aside from all of its recipe-brightening deliciousness, it is beautiful and easy to grow anywhere you can give it full sun. And then there's the aroma. Absolute heaven.

There are many varieties of basil to grow in your garden, each offering that familiar basil flavor, plus something a little extra. Here are my 5 favorite types of basil, as well as some recipes from around the web to illustrate the best ways to cook with them.