Lemon Balm

Common names	lemon Balm
Latin name	melisa officinalis
Life cycle	Perennial
Height	2 ft
Space	2 ft apart
Bloom	July to September
Light	Full sun to part shade
Soil	Average, well-drained
Zone	Zone 4
Feature	Deer resistant

Use:
Use fresh lemon balm leaves in iced drink, green salads, fruit salads, fish and vegetable marinades, chicken salads, and poultry stuffing. Leaves are best used fresh in cooking, but can be dried and used to make a mild lemony tea. You can mix lemon balm and other mints with black tea to make a stronger tea. lemon balm tea is used as a sedative before bed and sometimes helps migraines. Herbalists recommend it for relief from headaches, coughs, colds and especially cold sores and genital herpes. Drinking the tea and applying it directly to skin speed healing and prevent recurrences. Lemon balm can be used as a bug repellent. Crush leaves and rub them on your skin to keep away flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and ticks. Throw lemon balm into the bon fire to keep bugs from bugging people sitting around it. Rub down the kitchen table to keep bugs away from the food or rub lemon balm into wood for a lemon-scented furniture polish.

Culture:
Lemon balm is easy to grow and spreads vigorously. Harvest leaves before it flowers for best fragrance. Pick leaves that are almost mature or have just reached full size because the lemon scent and flavor deteriorate in older leaves. Cut plants 2" above the ground and avoid brushing the foliage. Dry within 2 days of picking because they turn black if not dried quickly. Dry them in the shade on trays, not in bundles.

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