Overview:
Lemon balm is a wonderful herb for container gardening. Its light, lemony flavor tastes wonderful, and it is easy enough to grow for a beginning gardener. Used in herb tea mixes, lemon balm is a must have for any herb garden.
Latin Name:
Melissa officinalis
Common Name:
Lemon Balm
USDA Hardiness Zone:
Zone 4-9
Exposure:
Full sun, does not tolerate heavy watering. Can be grown from seed, but I have much better luck rooting the cuttings.
Harvest:
Cut all aerial parts and dry out of direct sunlight. Strip leaves from stems once dry and crumbly. Cut back plant often for largest harvest.
Lemon balm can escape an herbal garden area with ease, it is best to contain it in a pot and keep it from flowering by harvesting before the flowers can turn to seed.
Uses:
Lemon balm is a total body soothing herb. It is an excellent choice for nervous disorders and to help strengthen the immune system. The lemony taste is readily accepted by children and is often included in children's mixtures for this reason.
Excellent headache relief and bringing fast relief to rashes and bug bites, try making a tea and keeping it in the fridge for those summertime bothers.
Taken as an herb tea alone or mixed with other herbs, lemon balm is a great standby for any herbalist's medicine chest.
