Lemon Balm (Balm, Bee Balm, Sweet Balm)
Melissa officinalis. LAMIACEAE (LABIATAE).
Planting and Growing Lemon Balm
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow lemon balm in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of lemon balm
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for lemon balm
- Season of bloom and planting time for lemon balm
- When, how deep, and where to plant lemon balm
- How to plant lemon balm
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of lemon balm
- Landscape and container uses of lemon balm
- Comments about lemon balm and its features
Growing Lemon Balm
Several cultivars of erect, mounding, open, upright, deciduous perennial herbs, to 2 ft. (60 cm) tall and 18 in. (45 cm) wide. Textured, green, yellow, variegated, oval or heart-shaped, pointed, coarsely toothed, veined, fragrant leaves, 1–3 in. (25–75 mm) long.
Common cultivars include Melissa officinalis ‘Aurea’, with gold leaves, and ‘Variegata’, with green and gold variegated leaves.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Insignificant white flowers in summer; grown primarily for foliage.
Best Climates
Hardy. Self-seeding. Zones 4–9.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained soil. Fertility: Rich–average. 6.5–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full to filtered sun, 18 in. (45 cm) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist; allow soil surface to dry between waterings. Drought tolerant. Fertilize quarterly. Shear in autumn. Propagate by cuttings, division, seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for banks, borders, containers, ground covers in herb, natural, woodland gardens. Good for sachets, lemon-flavored cooking herb. Invasive. Disease resistant. Whitefly susceptible.