How to Grow Lemon Verbena
This article is part of our “How to Grow Herbs” series. If you would like to learn more about how to work with this plant after you harvest it, please refer to our Herbal Aromatherapy Certification Program™ here.
I cannot think of lemon verbena without being taken back to my childhood. As a young reader, I enjoyed the Little House on the Prairie series of books (I started rereading the series again in 2022) and later, the television show based on those books produced by and starring Michael Landon. One of Laura’s teachers in that series was named Miss Beadle and she wore lemon verbena perfume that Laura just adored. I always think of that now when I am working with the plant!
Lemon verbena is now known as Aloysia citriodora (or citrodora, depending on the source) and has also been referred to as Aloysia triphylla and Lippia citriodora in the past. It is a member of the Verbenaceae family and a relative of blue vervain.
Growth Habit
In tropical growing zones, lemon verbena can become quite a tall shrub but in temperate zones, it is often grown as an annual and will not usually grow much taller than 3 to 5 feet or so. It is hardy to a USDA growing zone 8, but I have found that even in my zone 8b garden, it does not overwinter consistently. Some years, a couple of the plants survive but others do not. It is one of the last plants in my garden to put on fresh growth in late spring to early summer. Usually when I start questioning whether the passionflower and lemon verbena will ever emerge again or need to be replaced is when I first start seeing signs of life on the plants. If lemon verbena does overwinter for you, the main trunk / stems will likely become woody over time.
Growing Conditions
Lemon verbena plants thrive when planted in full sun. I have also had success growing it in partial sun. Amend the soil well and ensure that it drains sufficiently, as the plants do not like soggy conditions. Ideal spacing is 18” between plants.
Lemon verbena plants produce beautiful flower inflorescences with a multitude of tiny light pink to white blooms. They dry beautifully when pressed. The leaves are highly fragrant and smell just like the lemon-scented furniture polish my mom used to use when I was young. I like to infuse the dried leaves in oil to make a similarly scented product. If you want to work with the plant material once it has dried, though, be aware that it loses its potency very quickly. You will want to do your tincturing and infusing as soon after drying as possible to ensure that your remedies are effective.
Lemon verbena seeds are surprisingly hard to find from reputable sources. I recommend sourcing starts from your local garden center instead.
Learning More
If you would like to learn more about how to work with aromatic plants, I hope you will join me in our Herbal Aromatherapy Certification Program™ here at Floranella! In it, I teach students how to safely and effectively work with over 100 different herbs as well as their applicable essential oils and hydrosols from the garden to the still to the apothecary. I hope to see you in class one day!
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Erin! I am the main instructor here at Floranella. I am a clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, artisan distiller and organic gardener based in the Pacific Northwest. Here at Floranella, I teach people how to work with plants safely and effectively from the garden to the apothecary. Thanks for being here! I’m glad you stopped by.
