Enhance the scent of your garden with this tropical shrub.
Its leaves can be used fresh or harvested anddried for future use.
Set your plants out at the same time you planttomatoes,coleus, and other warm-weather lovers.
The Spruce / Randi Rhoades
It grows quickly and yields the most intense flavor in full sun.
Situate your lemon verbena plants where a neighboring tree or building won’t shade them.
While this herb is edible by humans, it is toxic to horses, dogs, and cats.
The Spruce / Randi Rhoades
Lemon Verbena Care
Here are the main requirements for growing lemon verbena.
Plants that are grown indoors as houseplants might need supplemental artificial lighting to prevent lanky growth and leaf drop.
Soil
Lemon verbena does well in rich gardenloam, and it also tolerates average soil.
The Spruce / Randi Rhoades
Water
Lemon verbena needs regular irrigation.
A lack of water leads to plant stress, leaf drop, and insect pest infestation.
Temperatures below 40F will trigger leaf drop and dormancy.
The Spruce / Randi Rhoades
Plants do well in dry or humid environments.
Feed plants in the spring with anall-purpose fertilizer.
Watering with compost or manure tea during the growing season will keep plants productive.
Lemon BalmCourtesyMissouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Over time, the shrubs can get woody and lanky, and they generally can look worn out.
Lemon verbena is propagated in the same way as other woody herbs likerosemaryandlavenderby taking semi-ripe cuttings in the summer.
How to Grow Lemon Verbena From Seed
Lemon verbena flowers produce few viable seeds.
Those that are produced rarely germinate.
Gardeners should start with young lemon verbena transplants rather than seeds.
Plant young plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
Choose a container of any material, but double the size of the plant’s root ball.
The pot should have numerous drainage holes.
Add loosepotting soilenriched with time-released fertilizer,leaf mold, or compost to ensure a healthy start.
Overwintering
Lemon verbena usually drops its leaves and enters dormancy when the temperature drops lower than 40F.
Help plants prepare for winter by reducing watering a few weeks before the typical onset of cooler temperatures.
Cover the soil with a 4- to 5-inch layer ofmulch.
Bring your potted lemon verbena plant indoors or to a greenhouse when temperatures drop below 40F.
Potted plants moving indoors for the winter will typically lose leaves.
Agrow lightmay prevent leaf loss, but it is not necessary.
Harvest leaves once the plant reaches at least 10 inches tall and has multiple leaves on each stem.
When lemon verbena flowers, the leaves are at their most flavorful.
Remove no more than 1/4 of the stem when harvesting so that the plant can continue growing.
Because the leaves are tough, you must mince them finely if you plan to consume them.
you could also infuse sauces, oil, sugar, or tea with whole leaves.
Lemon Verbena vs.
Lemon Balm
Lemon verbena andlemon balm(Melissa officinalis) have similar uses in the kitchen.
However, as a member of the mint family, lemon balm spreads vigorously and can becomeinvasive.
On the plus side, it is more shade-tolerant than lemon verbena.
Mist plants frequently to disrupt the dry conditions that spider mites enjoy.
Put out yellow sticky traps if whiteflies congregate.
Growing lemon verbena from seeds is extremely slow-going and is not recommended for home gardeners.
Lemon verbena grows beautifully when planted withdill,cilantro, andbasil.
