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Lemon Balm
Melissa officinalis
Lemon Balm is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
This entry comes from our curated library and has not yet been independently checked against outside sources. Curated is not unreliable: a standing audit keeps every entry internally consistent, and the source-by-source check is working through the whole library in the open.
Growing Lemon Balm
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–7. Expect it to reach about 2 ft tall and 1.6 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Lemon Balm
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Lemon Balm into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 5 in May.
Good to know about Lemon Balm
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
The lemon scent comes from volatile oils in the leaves, chiefly citral and citronellal. Crush a leaf and those oxygenated monoterpenes are what you smell. per Molecules
Warm-end zone is disputed
Every source agrees it is cold-hardy to zone 3. Only the warm end splits: NC State caps it at zone 7, Wisconsin runs it to zone 9. per NC State and Wisconsin
How it spreads
It spreads and needs containing. NC State says by rhizomes, so use a pot; Wisconsin, Illinois and Utah State say heavy self-seeding, so deadhead before seed set. per NC State and Wisconsin
Edible and pet-safe
A culinary and tea herb: the lemon-scented leaves and flowers are edible. ASPCA lists it non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. per ASPCA and NC State
Feeds bees despite tiny flowers
The small white summer flowers look minor but are nectar-rich; Wisconsin notes it is sometimes planted just to feed bees, and it draws butterflies too. per NC State and Wisconsin
Deer and rabbits avoid it
NC State lists it deer resistant and Wisconsin says it is rarely, if ever, eaten by deer or rabbits; the aromatic foliage is the likely reason. per NC State and Wisconsin
Cut back for fresh leaves
When it looks leggy or tired, cut it back by a third to a half after flowering for a clean flush; frequent harvest keeps it bushy. per Wisconsin
What pairs well with Lemon Balm
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Perennial Sunflower
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 4.9 ft, for the layer behind it; this one spreads, so it will crowd its neighbor in time.
Joe Pye Weed
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 5.9 ft, for the layer behind it; this one spreads, so it will crowd its neighbor in time.
False Sunflower
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it; this one spreads, so it will crowd its neighbor in time.
Honeysuckle
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; both are strong pollinator plants; climbs to 13 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
Summersweet
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; both are strong pollinator plants; taller at 5.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Flowering Crabapple
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; both are strong pollinator plants.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.