Lemon beebalm

Sun

Full sun for best flowering; tolerates light afternoon shade, especially in hot climates.

Water

Keep seedlings evenly moist. Once established, water during prolonged dry spells; it tolerates some drought but flowers better with occasional deep watering.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, loamy or stony soil; tolerates relatively poor soil. Avoid persistently wet ground.

Height

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

Late spring through summer, sometimes into early autumn; pink, lavender or pale purple flowers in stacked whorls with leafy bracts.

Foliage

Green, narrow, toothed leaves on square stems; crushed young leaves smell lemony, becoming more oregano-like as they age.

Growth

Fast; normally flowers in its first growing season.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

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

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

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

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   2 ft (0.6 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

• Thin seedlings to about 12-18 in (30-45 cm) apart so air can move between plants.
• Water at soil level when the ground begins to dry; avoid keeping the roots constantly wet.
• Skip routine feeding in ordinary garden soil; excessive nitrogen encourages floppy, leafy growth.
• Keep heavy mulch away from the stems and leave some bare soil if you want seedlings next year.
• Support unusually tall plants with twiggy stakes in exposed positions.

Pruning. Pinch young shoot tips once if you want bushier plants. Remove spent flower spikes to encourage further flowering, or leave a few to ripen seed before clearing dead plants.

Pick clean, healthy young leaves once plants are well established, preferably before or just as flowering begins, when their lemon scent is strongest. Snip small amounts from several shoots for tea or flavouring, and use fresh or dry in a shaded, airy place.

Early spring

In short-season climates, sow indoors about six to eight weeks before the last frost; press seeds onto the surface and keep moist.

Spring

Direct-sow after the last frost, or harden off indoor-grown plants and set them outside once frost risk has passed.

Late spring

Thin crowded seedlings and pinch young plants if bushier growth is wanted.

Summer

Harvest young leaves, water during extended dry weather and remove spent flower spikes.

Late summer

Leave selected flower heads to dry if you want to collect seed or allow self-sowing.

Autumn

Collect ripe seed from dry heads and remove dead plants; in mild-winter areas, seed can also be sown outdoors in autumn.

• Sow in loose groups through sunny cottage borders, where the stacked flowers add height without a heavy visual mass.
• Combine with black-eyed Susans and blanket flowers for a summer display in well-drained soil.
• Use along the sunny edge of a herb garden, within reach for harvesting scented leaves.
• Include in annual wildflower patches to provide nectar and allow a changing pattern of self-sown plants.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Wildflower, Pollinator garden, Sensory garden, Edible landscape and Texas Hill Country.

Plant it with: Black-eyed Susan, Blanket flower, Plains coreopsis, Purple coneflower, Butterfly weed and Little bluestem.

Wildlife: The flowers provide nectar for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. Leave some flowering stems uncut so insects can continue feeding.

• Powdery mildew: white patches can develop on crowded or drought-stressed plants; improve spacing, water the roots during dry weather and remove badly affected foliage.
• Root rot: plants may wilt or collapse in waterlogged soil; improve drainage and avoid frequent watering of already moist ground.
• Spider mites: hot, dry conditions can cause stippled leaves and fine webbing; rinse leaf undersides and prevent severe drought stress.
• Floppy growth: excess fertiliser, shade or crowding produces weak stems; grow in more sun, thin plants and avoid high-nitrogen feeds.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. The leaves and flowers are used as a culinary herb, although species-specific veterinary information is limited; large amounts may cause digestive upset. Concentrated essential oil is not equivalent to the fresh herb and should not be given to pets.

• Spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata)

  Also has stacked flower whorls, but its flowers are usually pale yellow with purple spots, surrounded by conspicuous pinkish or whitish bracts.

• Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

  A perennial with broader leaves and usually a single rounded lavender flower head at each stem tip, rather than several separated tiers.

• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)

  Has broad, wrinkled, rounded leaves and small whitish flowers in the leaf axils, not showy purple flower tiers.

Monarda honours the Spanish physician and botanist Nicolás Monardes, while citriodora means lemon-scented and refers to the aromatic foliage.

Propagation. Grow from seed, either direct-sown or started in modules for later planting. Press seed onto the surface or cover only very lightly, keep moist until germination and transplant young plants before their roots become crowded. It can self-sow where seed reaches open soil.

Accepted botanical name

Monarda citriodora

Native range

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

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