Lemon Balm

A member of the labiate family, Lemon Balm or Melissia officinalis originates in the countries of the southern Mediterranean. With a distinctive, square shape, stem and pairs of identical leaves along each stalk, it is in the same botannical family as basil, mint and rosemary. Despite its visual ressemblance, it may be distinguished from the mint plant not only by taste and smell, but by being slightly taller and bushier, with more fibrous stems. ~~ Cultivation: This hardy perennial grows up to and over 1 meter high, and spreads quite easily in a sunny, well drained spot in the garden. It can ... more

Lemon Balm otherwise known as (Melissa officinalis) has to be my favourite scented herb in the garden . The aroma of the leaves is just something else . Lemon balm is a member of the much bigger balm family which includes sweet balm too . A great bonus is that it is an easy plant to grow , provided a few basic rules are followed. It also has the bonus of being trouble free generally regarding pests . Apart from human hands picking the leaves that is !! The plant is a hardy perennial , which prefers semi shade rather than a full sun , desert type of location. This is handy as many herbs prefer ... more

I have a lovely healthy little lemon balm plant outside in my back garden and it has been there for a few years and it is still thriving. The lemon balm is a member of the Labiate Family and it comes from the Mediterranean orginally. I always think that lemon balm looks a lot like mint or basil but there is a difference, if you know what you are looking for. It is usually much more bushy and bigger than the mint plant and the stems are larger too, I find. I have a few different lemon balm plants in my garden and my largest one is well over one metre high now. It is a very hardy plant and it is ... more

Not a spectacular plant by any means, but you'll find it hard to beat the fragrance of lemons wafting across the garden to greet you. This is favourite of mine, and my cutting comes from a bush that grew in my grandmother's garden for over 40 years. As a child I would make a beeline for it in the garden, crushing the soft leaves in my fingers and holding them close to wallow in the aroma. Heavenly! Yellowy green and inconspicuous, this will grow pretty much anywhere with little or no attention as long as it is well watered. Insignificant white flowers will bloom towards the end of summer and ... more