When Life Gives You Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm (Melissa Officionalis) is a perennial herb part of the mint family with very similar growth habits. It’s hardy and invasive if left to its own devices, so like my mint, it’s been relegated to the invasive herb box where it holds its own against its voracious cousins. It’s hardy down to Zone 4 (with some protection) but here in Zone 7, it spreads readily by runners and by seed. Even though I moved a small portion of them to the box and pulled and destroyed the rest from where they originally were, there are still volunteers popping up on my lawn and between the bricks near the front door. It does well in both sun and shade, frequent watering or non frequent watering, good soil or bad soil (or even very little soil if the ones in the cracks concrete and asphalt of my driveway are any indication), what have you.

Bees love it, as its flowers are abundant and provide lots of nectar.

I like to put it in tea with honey during the summer–it has a very cool and refreshing lemony flavor, and the smell actually reminds me of those lemon cough drops. To be honest though, I really don’t use it often to justify cultivating it too much, so I just pull and compost the volunteers or crush it and use as an insect repellent while working in the garden.