Tips For Growing Lemon Verbena Herb In The Garden

The lemon verbena plant (Aloysia citrodora) is native to the countries of Chile and Argentina. This herb is an aromatic shrub, its leaves holding their fragrance even after being dried for years. The lemon verbena plant has a fragrant lemony smell, small white flowers and narrow leaves. Read on to learn more about growing lemon verbena.

How Do I Grow Lemon Verbena?

Growing lemon verbena isn't too difficult. The lemon verbena herb is a sensitive one, preferring warmth to cold and having a high water requirement. Lemon verbena seeds or cuttings are used when you want to generate a new plant. In other words, you can propagate the plant or grow it fresh from the seeds. The cuttings of lemon verbena plants can be placed in a jar of water while you wait for new roots to form. Once they form, wait a few weeks for a good root structure to develop before planting into soil. When growing lemon verbena from seed, you can start them in your normal starting planters. Just remember that both the seeds and the cuttings need plenty of sunshine to form a good plant. Once the seedlings have grown several leaves, you can transplant them into the garden after first hardening them off.

Lemon Verbena Uses

Some of the most common lemon verbena uses include putting the leaves and flowers in teas and to flavor alcoholic beverages. You can use the lemon verbena herbs in desserts and jams. It is also wonderful in a good fruit salad. Lemon verbena is sometimes used in making perfumes. There are toilet waters and colognes that include the herb in their ingredients. Medicinally, the flowers and leaves of the herb have been used to help with certain medical conditions. Lemon verbena uses include its utilization as a fever reducer, sedative, and antispasmodic. Since growing lemon verbena is not that difficult, you can easily include it in an herb garden to enjoy its many benefits.