Anyone have any suggestions on how to take care of lemon verbena? I just got a plant this morning and it smells soooo good, I'll die if I kill it...lol. Lots of sun or partial shade? I have been told and have read both.
Lemon Verbena
I'm growing mine in partial shade at the moment. Not intentionally, just because the beans grew up the trellis and are shading it. It seemed to be doing fine in full sun earlier in the year. Are you growing it in a pot? If so, you could place the pot in partial shade, watch the plant, then move it to gradually more and more sun.
This message was edited Aug 30, 2006 5:47 PM
Thanks Garden_mermaid, I am going to grow it in a pot, I think. I hadn't really decided as I was waiting to hear suggestions, so I will go with growing in a pot so that it can be moved.
Kanita, I have had mine since Feb and am growing it in a pot (3 gal for now). I started by trying to make it a topiary but gave up. Its' sprawling habit and weak stem just don't approve of my idea. I love the smell and am told it will bloom. I keep mine in the full sun with regular water. It doesn't seem to object. I do agree with g_m, ease it gradually into the sun. Too much too quickly could damage or sunburn the leaves.
I also understand that in this zone, I will need to offer winter protection which is why I potted it. Hardy to about 25 degrees. Apparently is easier to take cuttings than start seeds.
Thanks Podster. What do you all do with the leaves other than tea?
I like the fragrance and it makes a great addition to potpourri. Southern Herb Growing suggests adding to wine punch for more "punch", adding to frozen peas while cooking, or dropping a couple leaves in a white wine to blend flavors. Perhaps some else can offer other uses. I love to rub and sniff the leaves... : )) pod
Lemon verbena leaves were traditionally used to add lemon flavour to foods in areas too cold to grow lemons. I still use them that way when I can't get organic lemons.
We like to cook zucchini with onion, lemon zest and mint. Lemon verbena substitutes very nicely. Also delicious in scones.
For those folks trying a 100-mile diet, verbena may be the only lemon flavour available to them.
What on earth is the 100-mile diet?
The 100 mile diet is an exercise in locally by eating only foods that are grown/produced within a 100 miles of where you live.
http://100milediet.org/
http://eatlocalchallenge.com/
http://locavores.com/
The idea is to develop an awareness of local fresh food rather than food that has been shipped 1500 miles or more, burning up fuel in transport.
Here an article from a journalist in Philly who tried it:
http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2006-08-10/cover.shtml
It does seem a bit ridiculous that the majority of California cherries are shipped out of state so that Californians have to buy cherries grown in Washington. Please don't take that as a criticism of Washington state's produce. Not at all. The idea is to have the locally produced food available to the locals and to re-establish a relationship between the community and the grower/producer.
Thought I'd share some of the interesting recipes for Lemon Verbena scones and Lavendar scones. I had originally read about them in an herbal mystery novel.
http://www.herbcompanion.com/recipes/12_01_06-scones
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/lemonverbena.html
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/springtea.html
Thanks Garden Mermaid!
and is your lemon verbena still amongst the living?
It is so far. Actually, its doing really well. I haven't clipped any leaves yet, but I really want to.
Ummmm. Don't you just love to pet and rub them and sniff your fingers though?
"What do you all do with the leaves other than tea?"
I've used them in a few beers I've brewed.
That's one use I have never heard off... Does it flavor or help ferment the brew?
I want to make an infused vinegar for salad. Can I use balsamic vinegar or does it have to be distilled? Anyone know?
You should be able to use balsamic if you like the taste of it with the intended herb.
I've generally used either apple cider vinaegar or regular wine vineagar with the herbs.
Think I'll try a balsamic with tarragon this year.
garden-mermaid~
I was just reading through all the herb posts as I would REALLY like to grow and use more herbs next year....your comment about the CA/WA produce cracked me up. I often go to the market and scratch my head (figure of speech LOL) on "why are we selling CA strawberries when we grow our own right here in Whatcom Co????" This year Whatcom Counties local cherrie crops were amazing.
I'm going to check out the sites you listed, thanks, Karen~
Odd, a lot of quality produce is grown in the "magic" valley in Texas but we never see it in this neck of the woods. When I ask, they tell me it goes to where the money is... We are economically depressed. Not a problem you folks on the west coast should have.
not economically depressed on the west coast? HA! have we got you fooled pod!
Keep in mind that the gov't unemployment figures only count the folks who are receiving unemployment checks. These usually last for 6 months. After that, you drop off the statistics, even if you are still unemployed. The Silicon Valley area has had most of it's jobs exported out of the area (and mostly out of the country). We have folks who have been unemployed for over two years. A lot of PhDs working at Target etc. Most of the higher paying tech jobs have been replaced with low paying service jobs. My friends and cousins in the Seattle area tell me much of the same. But don't get me started......let's go back to herbs and the oddities of agricultural transport.
It's true that our locally grown crops go "where the money is". There are federal and state programs that support the growth of export businesses, so a grower can often make more money by shipping his/her harvest to other areas (which is why the e.coli outbreak from the conventional bagged spinach became so widespread). Many people are out of touch with the garden or farm and thus the cycles of nature. They don't know how to eat seasonally because they don't really know what is "in season". You certainly can't tell by what's offered in today's supermarkets. It is a waste of fuel when you think that most supermarket produce has traveled and average of 1500 miles, often further. There are many groups springing up around the country to encourage people to eat locally.
Do you have farmer's markets in your neck of the woods? Could you organize your town to start one? Better yet, organize the gardener's in your area in a campaign to educate the local populace on what grows seasonally in your area and the benefits of eating locally grown.
Oh no! I feel an attack of guerilla vegies coming on........!
Hi, Kanita,
I've always grown lemon verbena in full sun. It can get quite large though I do have one that I've kept in a 12-14 inch clay pot for quite a few years now while waiting to decide "where to put it". They start quite easily from cuttings, so you might want to back yours up with a cutting or two. Garden_mermaid...love it! Fallbrook is one of the "Avocado Capitals" of the world and lately I have to laugh because one of the grocery store ads on TV lately is advertising these wonderful Chilean avocados like they're something quite special. We should all buy "locally" period!
Sherry
I, too, vote for buying locally or growing one's own. If nothing else everything tastes better if it isn't shipped halfway around the world before it is served.
I did find that when I first started growing my own veggies and/or purchasing them at the farmers market that I had to learn to cook and eat things I didn't really know how to prepare. Swiss Chard for instance. It is nutritious and easy to grow, but it tooked me years to collect a good recipe repertoire for it. Same for carrots. I had only one or two ways of preparing carrots and had to come up with more because they grew so well for me. I had to come up with more good eggplant recipes, too. I am still looking for recipes for kohlrabi. I know how to chop it up and serve it in salads, but I know there are lots of cooked recipes for it, but I have yet to try them. Yet kohlrabi grows so well here.
It was different with herbs. I have found myself with increasingly large plantings of parsley, chervil, garlic chives, and mint. The more I have, the more I seem to use. There are some wonderful middle eastern sauces with yougurt and mint or yogurt and mint and parsely. Mint is great in meatballs and other meat dishes. Parsley can go in almost everything from boiled potatoes to tabbouleh.
I recommend large patches of herbs and experimentation with unfamiliar veggies for the sake of health, both mental and physical. This is so much more interesting than the frozen peas, carrots, and spinach I grew up on. But it did take a little restructuring of lifestyle and study. Now even my husband is a fan of fresh veggies from the garden or the farmer's market.
LInks to kohlrabi recipes for inspiration:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/10663/
http://www.gretchencooks.com/recipes/411_Spicy_Kohlrabi
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,kohlrabi,FF.html
In Kashmir, the leaves of the kohlrabi are also eaten. They are cooked like spinach or collards. I like the leaves, but have never developed a taste for the bulb. My mom loves it though.
"That's one use I have never heard off... Does it flavor or help ferment the brew?"
Sorry, I didn't see your question earlier, podster. The last time I used it was in a type of Belgian beer I brewed called a saison. I added the lemon verbena along with some chamomile towards the end of the boil to impart a soft bitterness with a light lemony aftertaste.
Kanita
I know how you feel about your gorgeous lemon verbena. I live in a similar zone as you. I grew it last year in a big pot but found it dried out too often. So this year I planted it in the ground - shade for 50 percent of the day. It still needed occasional watering because we only had one rainfall since April. But I think it has been much more settled. I think it prefers it roots in real soil.
If I were you I would take lots of cuttings while you still have good growth and grow them in different locations. You need never worry about losing it that way. good luck and let us know how it's doing.
I should probably plant in ground here too but would have to do cuttings. It is not supposed to survive our winters. I had never even seen this plant for sale here but mail ordered mine.
Thanks B1 I will try taking cuttings.
Okay, how do i properly take cuttings?
Are lemon balm and lemon verbena closely related? I ordered lemon balm from the nursery I frequent and they had to special order it because they mixed it up with lemon verbena. I would like to try lemon verbena tea. Lemon balm tea is delicious and relaxing,especially iced and sweetened on a warm June day.
Lemon balm lives all year around in our climate.
Thanks,
Chuck
Lemon balm is in the mint family. Lemon verbena is very different plant. If you like lemon balm tea, you'll probably love lemon verbena tea. The lemon verbena leaves have a strong lemon flavour and can be used instead of lemon to flavour many dishes. Lemon balm cannot be substituted for lemon flavouring as the taste is much different.