Lemon Verbena
- Type: perennial zones 8-11
- Planting time: after last frost in spring
- Features: aromatic, lemon-scented leaves
- Height: 4 to 6 feet
- Light: full sun with light afternoon shade in hottest regions
- Soil: fertile, well-drained
- Spacing: 6 to 8 feet
- Garden use: kitchen gardens, mixed planting beds, herb gardens, containers
- Culinary use: tea, desserts, sorbet, pudding
Lemon verbena offers a strong, sweet lemon taste—just like lemon candy, but with no sour punch. Its claim to fame is that it’s the herb used to make lemon zinger tea. An undemanding plant, lemon verbena soars to shrub size in a single growing season. In warmer areas, it’s an evergreen perennial. Outside the hardiness range, grow this lemony beauty in pots that you can move indoors for winter. Use lemon verbena leaves fresh or dried. Mince leaves finely for consumption, or simply use whole leaves to flavor dishes, removing them just before serving. Lemon verbena is well loved for brewing teas, solo or in combination with mint. Leaves retain their scent for years, making them an ideal component of potpourri.
Lemon verbena offers one challenge: Occasionally, the plant drops all its leaves. Read the How to Grow page for tips on understanding, surviving, and preventing leaf drop.
Some Bonnie Plants varieties may not be available at your local stores, as we select and sell varieties best suited to the growing conditions in each region.
