Growing Herbs (Pictures are Deceiving)

I’m stuck inside due to the horrendous rain (which will wash out the July 4th celebrations, too) & the only “garden” I can do anything about is my one indoor herb: Stevia. It’s a rainforest herb … likes lots of warmth, sun & water. Unfortunately, it has to stay inside in the winter due to the low temperatures & also during the summer because it gets so hot on the deck that it fries.  It needs trimming again.

When I bought it, I thought I was getting a nice, compact, shrubby-looking plant. What I have doesn’t resemble anything like that: it gets leggy & has to be trimmed back about every four to six weeks. Compare:

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The photo from Bonnie Plants

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My plant (surrounded by hardware cloth to keep the kids out)

They don’t look much alike, do they?