herb

Herb to Grow with a Sweet Lemon Scent

DanSpecialty Crops, This Land of Ours

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Cathy Isom fills you in about the herb you can grow with a sweet, lemony scent. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

Herb to Grow with a Sweet Lemon Scent

Lemon verbena is an aromatic herb with fragrant leaves that fill the garden with a sweet, lemony scent. Not only does the plant smell and taste delicious, but it’s beautiful in landscaping, forming a large shrub with rich, green leaves and delicate white to purple blossoms.

Lemon verbena has a long medicinal and culinary history. Victorian ladies would stuff sachets with the lemony leaves for a fresh scent during the sweltering days of summer. These days, you’ll find it in tea, soaps, beverages, and desserts. Innovative cooks even use the leaves to flavor meats and fish.

Aloysia citriodora, Verbenaceae, Lemon Verbena, Lemon Beebrush
By H. Zell – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Lemon verbena is a sizable herb that makes a statement in your landscaping. It’s aromatic, so you want to place it somewhere that people will see and smell it. Lemon verbena is a perennial in frost-free areas like zone 9 and 10. Lemon verbena grows best in full sunlight. Full sun gives the best growth and the most flavorful leaves, but if you live in a desert region or the southernmost states, it’s best if your plants have some light afternoon shade to protect them from the scorching sun.

I’m Cathy Isom…