Q:

Cutting of Cinnamon Basil

Usually Basil is cut before it blooms in order to get a more bushy plant.
This is my first year in which I'm trying Cinnamon Basil (in Central Europe). I always wanted to try it as it's famous for it's lovely smelling flowers.
Does this rule apply to cinnamon basil as well?
If so, what are your recommendations at this point? Can there be a compromise between having the nice flowers without basically losing the plant?

A:

Ocimum basilicum 'cinnamon' is just a variety of basil; it is an annual plant in cooler regions of the world, like ordinary basil, and, like ordinary basil, the taste of the leaves is better before the plant flowers, and once it has flowered, it will more or less stop producing new leaves. As I understand it, the whole plant is fragrant when bruised, rather than the flowers themselves being more fragrant.
Now that yours has flowered, you can wait for it to set seed and collect those and sow them for more plants, because they come true from seed. In cooler regions, they should be started off indoors or in a warm greenhouse in early spring. There is further information here, though note it refers to growing this plant in Australia so the months for planting refer to that country, not the northern hemisphere https://www.succeedheirlooms.com.au/herb-seeds/basil-cinnamon.html#:~:text=Origin%3A,ll%20grow%20true%20to%20type.

