Lemon basil

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade can help in very hot climates.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist but not waterlogged. Containers may need daily watering in hot weather.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost; use free-draining potting mix in containers.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Small white flowers in slender spikes from summer into autumn if shoots are not regularly harvested.

Foliage

Soft green, opposite, oval to lance-shaped leaves with lightly toothed edges and a distinct lemon scent when rubbed.

Growth

Fast in warm weather.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant out after frost danger has passed and nights are consistently above 10°C (50°F).
• Space plants 1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m) apart to allow airflow.
• Water at soil level when the surface begins to dry; do not leave pots standing in water.
• Feed container plants lightly with a balanced liquid fertiliser every four weeks during active growth.
• Apply a thin organic mulch once the soil is warm, keeping it clear of the stems.

Pruning. Pinch out shoot tips once plants have several pairs of leaves, cutting just above a leaf pair to encourage branching. Remove flower spikes as they appear if leaf production is your priority.

Pick leaves or tender shoot tips once the plant is well established and has several pairs of healthy leaves. Harvest before flowering for tender growth, taking no more than about one-third of the plant at a time; use fresh or freeze surplus leaves.

Early spring

Sow seeds indoors in warmth, ideally around 21-24°C (70-75°F), with bright light after germination.

Late spring

Harden plants off gradually and plant outside after frost danger has passed and nights are warm.

Early summer

Pinch growing tips to encourage a bushy shape and begin light harvesting.

Summer

Water regularly, feed container plants lightly and remove unwanted flower spikes.

Late summer

Leave a few flower spikes for bees or seed collection if you do not need all the leaves.

Autumn

Harvest remaining usable leaves before cold nights; remove plants killed by frost.

• Place in pots beside a sunny kitchen door for easy picking and scented foliage.
• Use as a low, regularly clipped edging around vegetable or herb beds.
• Mix with parsley, chives and compact marigolds in informal edible planting.
• Allow a few plants to flower among summer vegetables to provide small-scale pollinator forage.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Herb parterre, Edible landscape, Sensory garden, Cottage garden and Small-space.

Plant it with: Tomatoes, Peppers, Parsley, Chives, French marigolds and Lettuce.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other small pollinating insects. Regularly removing flower spikes reduces this food source.

• Slugs and snails can strip young plants: inspect after dark, remove pests and protect seedlings with suitable barriers or labelled iron-phosphate bait.
• Aphids cluster on tender tips: wash them off with water and check new growth regularly.
• Basil downy mildew causes yellow patches and grey-purple growth beneath leaves: remove affected plants, avoid wetting foliage and improve spacing and airflow.
• Cold or waterlogged soil causes stalled growth, yellowing and root decay: delay planting until warm and improve drainage.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses in ordinary culinary quantities. Leaves and tender shoots are edible; large amounts may cause digestive upset in pets. Concentrated essential oil is not equivalent to the fresh herb and should not be given to pets.

• Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum)

  Typical sweet basil has broader, often cupped leaves and a sweet clove-like scent rather than a clear lemon scent; leaf form varies between cultivars.

• Hoary basil (Ocimum americanum)

  Often has more noticeably hairy stems and leaves, but it can also smell lemony. It is a parent of lemon basil, and the two are difficult to separate confidently by scent or garden appearance alone.

• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)

  Has broader, wrinkled, scallop-edged leaves and forms a hardy perennial clump, unlike the tender, more slender-leaved lemon basil.

The common name refers to the leaves' lemon scent, while the × in Ocimum × africanum marks its hybrid origin.

Propagation. Sow seed in warmth, covering lightly, or root non-flowering stem cuttings in moist potting mix. Saved seed may vary, particularly where other basils flower nearby.

Accepted botanical name

Ocimum africanum

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.