Lemon balm

Origin & history

Lemon balm comes from the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia, travelled north with the Romans and remained a fixture of monastery gardens through the Middle Ages; in warmer parts of Germany it has locally naturalised. Its genus name comes from the Greek mélissa, “honey bee” — beekeepers used to rub the inside of new hives with the herb, and the flowers really are worked hard by bees. Botanically it is a labiate like mint, but it spreads by seed rather than by runners.

Varieties

The ordinary green Melissa officinalis is open-pollinated, cheap and entirely sufficient. Alongside it there are more strongly scented selections such as “Quedlinburger Niederliegende”, plus variegated and golden-leaved forms like “Aurea” and “Variegata”, which look attractive but smell weaker and scorch at the leaf margins in full sun. Variegated forms do not come true from seed — buy those as plants or divide them in spring.

Care

A partly shaded, humus-rich spot with even moisture keeps the leaves large and soft; in dry heat they stay small and turn leathery. In spring a dose of compost is enough — plenty of nitrogen produces lush but flat-tasting foliage. The clump goes bare in the middle after a few years: every three or four years dig it up in spring, divide it and replant the strong outer pieces. It dies back completely in winter and comes up again reliably in spring.

What can go wrong

Lemon balm is tough, but in a wet summer the lower leaves get brown spots and the stand rots from the inside — then cut it back hard, remove the affected foliage and plant further apart; the regrowth comes clean again. Towards the end of summer dense clumps show powdery mildew, again a matter of space and air movement. On heavy, waterlogged ground the rootstock rots over winter: it is completely hardy, but it will not take permanently wet soil.

Harvest, storage & kitchen

The lemon scent sits almost entirely in the fresh leaf and is largely lost in drying — lemon balm is a herb for immediate use. Harvest before flowering and in the morning, cutting whole shoots and using the young leaves. It must not be cooked; chopped fresh it goes into fruit salad, quark and desserts, whole sprigs into punch, lemonade or a jug of cold water, and whatever is left over freezes well in ice cubes.

Frequently asked questions

How do you dry lemon balm properly?

Fast, airy and dark — and without high hopes, because part of the lemon scent is lost on the way. Tie whole shoots into loose bundles and hang them upside down somewhere shaded with good airflow, at no more than 35 degrees. Strip the leaves once the stems snap.

What can I do if lemon balm takes over?

It spreads by seed, not by runners the way mint does, so you do not need a root barrier. Cut the clump back to the ground by the end of flowering at the latest, before seed drops; young seedlings pull out easily by hand.

Does lemon balm grow in a pot?

Yes, given enough room: at least ten litres and around 30 centimetres across, standing in partial shade. It drinks a lot, so check it daily in high summer, and divide it every three to four years with fresh compost.

Is lemon balm winter hardy?

Yes, entirely, and in the bed it needs no covering. It disappears above ground in autumn and comes back by itself in April. Cut the old stems only in March: they shelter the rootstock and give insects somewhere to sit out the winter.