Lemon verbena

Lemon verbena is a flowering plant in the Verbenaceae family, that is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 17th century.

The leaves have a clean, sharp lemony fragrance that can be used to infuse a herb tea, fruit puddings, confectionery, apple jelly, cakes and icecream.

Location
Choose a site in full sun in an almost frost-free position.

Soil
Light, well-drained and alkaline soil is ideal. Poor soil will produce stronger plants that are able to survive cold winters.

Sowing
Sow in spring.

Transplanting
Transplant to 1m (3ft) apart. Prune drooping branches to encourage new growth. Grow lemon verbena indoors in winter though it may drop its leaves. Prune and spray with warm water to revive the plant.

Harvesting
Pick leaves anytime; best when flowers begin to bloom.

Preserving
Dry leaves. Use fresh leaves to flavour vinegar.