Latin name
:
Melissa officinalis.
To discover
True or false: fight misconceptions about the garden
Botanical family
: Lemon balm is part of the lamiaceae or labiatae family, like sage, basil and lavender.
What is the origin of lemon balm?
Originally from southern Europe and the Near East, lemon balm is a famous aromatic plant known since antiquity.
Main varieties
: There are two varieties of lemon balm: 'All Gold' with golden foliage and 'Aurea' with variegated green foliage.
How to use lemon balm?
The finely chopped dried or fresh leaves bring a
lemony and slightly minty taste
that can enhance many culinary preparations.
They are also used to deodorize the laundry in the cupboards and to keep moths away.
Read alsoWhat are the health benefits of lemon balm?
In the garden, it can also be installed as a ground cover at the foot of hedges.
What are the characteristics of lemon balm?
The numerous stems of this rhizomatous perennial rise up to 80 cm from the ground to form a very decorative bush composed of oval, hairy leaves, light green to yellowish in color.
The small white or yellow flowers bloom in a bouquet in the axils of the leaves.
Nectariferous and polliniferous, they attract useful insects such as bees.
Conversely, the lemony smell of the plant, which sometimes earns it its nickname of lemon balm, repels mosquitoes.
Flowering period
: lemon balm is in flower
from May to September
.
Hardiness
: Good resistance to cold.
Read alsoLemon balm, lavender... These plants that treat sleep disorders
How to grow lemon balm?
Level of difficulty
: It pushes easily.
But you have to keep an eye on it, because this plant tends to want to colonize the whole garden, either by spontaneous sowing or by suckering.
Soil:
All types of soil are suitable for it, even if it is a little afraid of excess humidity such as major droughts.
It is better to reserve a corner of the garden for it, for example at the edge of the path, in the flower bed or in the space devoted to aromatics.
Exposure:
Sunny or partial shade for varieties with variegated or golden foliage.
Sowing/planting
: No need to try to establish lemon balm by sowing.
It is best to get plants in pots, at the garden center or during plant swaps that you will put in the ground preferably
from March to May
.
You can collect excess clumps using a transplanter and put them in pots to offer to fellow gardeners and share them with your neighborhood.
Culture management
: It does not require any specific care.
At the beginning of winter, cut the stems at ground level.
Also cut back after flowering to induce new growth and prevent seed scattering.
Finally, note that lemon balm can be combined with any other vegetable.
Diseases and pests
: No diseases.
Only young plants can attract molluscs.
Harvest
: As needed from May to frost.
Sheet produced by Jean-Marc Muller,
SNHF
, vegetable and fruit section