Have you ever grown a plant so long, you started to assume everyone already knew all about it?
It happened to me once when someone visited my garden and said, “What is this lovely smelling plant?” My first reaction was to say “Oh THAT? It’s just lemon balm,” as if it were nothing special. Poor plant!
Lemon balm is something special and just because it seems common to me, does not mean it is common to everyone. It deserves better than that!
So this week, I am featuring Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) as my plant of the week. (Cue the music…)
What makes lemon balm special is its wonderful lemony fragrance. It is a gentle fragrance that is not overpowering. Brush the plant with a hand as you walk by and it fills the area with this delicious scent. It’s leaves are light green and oval-shaped with dainty scalloped edges. It does flower but they are tiny, white and inconspicuous.
I cook a lot with my lemon balm. It adds a gentle lemon zest flavor to foods. Use it just as you would a lemon in cooking with fish, poultry and vegetable recipes. The leaves can also be used in fruit deserts, ice cream, custard and pastry. In beverages, lemon balm works well in hot or cold tea, punch or a tangy lemonade. You can use the leaves fresh or dried.
I also use lemon balm in flower arrangements, adding scent to the bouquet. When the leaves are dry, they do hold the fragrance well, making them good for potpourri recipes.
Lemon balm is related to mint and so it looks a bit like mint when in the garden. However, is not as invasive. Lemon balm grows as a small bushy perennial and reaches about 2-3 feet tall. It spreads in clumps, much slower than mint and is fairly easy to keep under control. I just divide mine every other year and give clumps to friends. Where most people have problem with lemon balm is with the seeds sprouting up in unwanted areas. But in my garden, it has never been an unruly garden guest. It has always acted like a lady, always gently moving without pushing out neighbors and never weedy with its seed.
Grow lemon balm in full sun to partial shade. It can be propagated by seeds, layering or division. The seeds germinate best if left uncovered.
Now, in most areas, this is NOT the time to plant lemon balm. But this lovely plant was on my mind because this it the time of year that I cut mine back. In my warm winter climate, I cut it to the ground in the fall and it immediately starts all over, looking lovely again by January. (Remember, this is Los Angeles…the home of the Rose Parade…It is warm in January.) In cold winter climates, lemon balm will survive the winter if cut back and then mulched heavily in the fall.
Sources:
Goodwin Creek Gardens – for plants
Park Seeds – for seeds
About the Author
Theresa Loe blogs here about taking the garden full circle while striving for a more local, fresh-from-the-garden lifestyle. She is a TV producer, video host, freelance garden writer and a wrangler of chickens and children. (Not necessarily in that order.) For more information on these topics, you can subscribe to her free monthly newsletter.
Theresa Loe is the award- winning Co-Executive Producer & Canning Expert on Growing A Greener World TV. She blogs here about Living Homegrown®, local and fresh-from-the-garden. 
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I have never cooked with lemon balm. It never crossed my mind. I have just grown it for the fragrance of the leaves–it’s a good kid plant that way. And putting it in flower arrangements? Inspired!
We used to grow lemon balm, but I never used it in anything; I merely loved to rub against it when I was outside.
Now we have a lemon verbena, and I still don’t do anything with it except rub up against it. Can I use lemon verbena like you do lemon balm?
Thanks Kathy:
You are correct…Kids LOVE lemon balm. I have them rub a leaf on their arm so they carry the scent with them all day long. Most kids keep the leaves when they leave.
Teresa:
I LOVE lemon verbena even more than lemon balm! Yes, you can cook with lemon verbena too. Chop the leaves well because they can have sharp edges or leave them whole and remove them before serving. For more information on using lemon verbena see my post here:
http://www.gardenfreshliving.com/2008/08/plant-of-the-we.html
I use Lemon Verbena to make lovely drinking water. It is always a big hit at parties instead of plain ice water.
Thanks for the link to your previous post! I’ll be making lemon verbena water; I like to drink water, but I never did like it plain. I’ve put lemon in my water, but it definitely imparts a bitterness if I leave it in for too long. Thanks much!
Yes, the lemon verbena works great to flavor the water without bitterness. I tried the “lemon flavored” waters at the store and hated them. It tasted like a chemical to me. But the lemon verbena just adds a touch of lemon without being sour or bitter.
Lemon balm works too, but does have touch of bitterness. I think lemon verbena works MUCH better.
I hear lemon balm also has herbal and medicinal uses. This is really one gifted plant.
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