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Lemon balm is one of those herbs I think almost everyone should grow.
It's easy, forgiving, comes back year after year, and once it's happy, you'll have plenty to harvest. Brush against the leaves while you're working in the garden and you'll immediately smell that wonderful fresh lemon scent.
But lemon balm is much more than a pretty, lemony plant to have growing by the back door. It's also a wonderful herb for the home apothecary, particularly when you're looking for something gentle and calming.
If you're just beginning an apothecary garden, lemon balm is a very good place to start.
Getting to Know Lemon Balm
Botanical Name: Melissa officinalis
Common Name: Lemon Balm
Parts Used: Leaves
Perennial: Zones 4–9
Lemon balm belongs to the mint family, and if you've ever grown mint, you'll probably recognize some similarities. It grows into a nice bushy plant, spreads readily, and responds very well to being cut back and harvested.
Traditionally, lemon balm has been used as a calming and uplifting nervine, for digestive complaints such as occasional bloating and indigestion, and as a gentle support during colds and fevers. It also has a long history of use for its antiviral properties.
It's one of those gentle herbs that can become part of everyday family life rather than something you only think about when there's a problem.
Lemon Balm for the Nervous System
One of the things I especially appreciate about lemon balm is its relationship with the nervous system.
It's traditionally considered a calming, uplifting nervine. I particularly like herbs like this because calming doesn't necessarily have to mean sedating.
Sometimes what we need isn't something that knocks us out. We simply need a little help settling down.
Lemon balm is often reached for during times of nervousness, tension, restlessness, or when the mind has had a little too much going on. Because it also has an affinity for the digestive system, I especially like thinking about it when stress and an unsettled stomach seem to show up together.
It's gentle enough to make a simple cup of tea part of an evening routine, yet useful enough that I like having plenty dried and stored in the apothecary.
Ways I Use Lemon Balm
The simplest way to use lemon balm is tea.
Fresh lemon balm makes a lovely tea during the growing season, and dried lemon balm means you can continue using your harvest long after the garden has gone to sleep for the year.
It also blends beautifully with other herbs. Chamomile is an obvious companion when you're looking for something gentle and calming, and lemon balm can be combined with other nervine herbs depending on what you're trying to accomplish.
Lemon balm can also be prepared as a tincture or glycerite. A glycerite is particularly useful when you want an alcohol-free preparation or something that's easier for children to take.
This is one reason I grow medicinal herbs in the first place. When I can walk outside, harvest something from my own garden, preserve it, and then reach for that jar months later, I've taken one more little step toward having a home apothecary I can actually use.
How to Grow Lemon Balm
Thankfully, lemon balm is not a fussy plant.
You can start it from seed indoors about 6–8 weeks before your last frost, or sow it directly outside once the weather has warmed.
Lemon balm seed needs light to germinate, so don't bury it deeply. Scatter the seeds over your growing medium, gently press them against the surface, and keep them moist while you're waiting for germination.
Once your seedlings are established, give them about 12–18 inches of room. A happy lemon balm plant can become quite full and bushy.
Where to Plant Lemon Balm
Lemon balm will grow in full sun to partial shade.
Here in a hot climate, I appreciate giving many of my herbs some protection from the strongest afternoon sun, and lemon balm is quite happy with morning sun and some afternoon shade.
It prefers moist, well-draining soil, although established plants are fairly forgiving.
And remember: lemon balm is in the mint family.
It can spread.
If you're worried about it wandering through the garden, a container is a perfectly good option. Otherwise, harvest it regularly and cut it back before it scatters seed everywhere.
Of course, if you love lemon balm as much as I do, having too much of it may not be your biggest gardening problem.
Growing Lemon Balm in Containers
Lemon balm also grows beautifully in pots, which is a good option if you have limited garden space or simply want to keep it close to the kitchen.
Choose a container at least 10–12 inches across with good drainage and use a quality potting mix with some compost added.
Container-grown lemon balm will usually need more frequent watering than plants growing in the ground, particularly during hot summer weather.
Keeping a pot near the house also makes it awfully convenient to step outside and snip a handful for tea.
An Even Easier Way to Get More Lemon Balm
Once you have lemon balm growing, you don't necessarily need to start from seed again.
Lemon balm is very easy to propagate.
Established plants can be divided, and stem cuttings root readily too. Take a healthy cutting, remove the lower leaves, and place it into moist growing medium. Keep it protected from harsh sun while it develops roots.
It's one of those plants that makes it very easy to turn one plant into many.
That can be handy if you want lemon balm in several places around your garden—or if you have a friend who would like a plant of her own.
When and How to Harvest Lemon Balm
I like to harvest lemon balm before it flowers, when the leaves are wonderfully aromatic.
Using clean garden shears, cut the stems rather than picking individual leaves one at a time. Don't be afraid to give the plant a good haircut. Regular harvesting encourages fresh, bushy growth, and an established lemon balm plant generally comes right back.
That means you can often get multiple harvests during a single growing season.
If your plant does begin flowering, you haven't suddenly lost your lemon balm. You can still use it. Harvesting before flowering simply helps you catch the leaves when their aromatic qualities are at their best.
Drying Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is one herb I don't like leaving around in a big pile after harvesting.
Those beautiful aromatic leaves are what we're trying to preserve, so I get them drying fairly quickly.
Spread the leaves and stems where they have good airflow and are protected from direct sunlight, or use a dehydrator on a low setting.
Once they're completely dry, strip the leaves from the stems and store them in an airtight container away from heat and light.
I prefer storing dried herbs as whole as practical and crumbling them when I use them. Every time we crush an aromatic herb, we're exposing more of it to air, so keeping those leaves whole helps preserve their goodness a little longer.
And don't forget to label the jar with the herb and the year you harvested it.
There are few things more satisfying than seeing jars filled with herbs you grew and harvested yourself lined up in your home apothecary.
From the Garden to the Home Apothecary
Lemon balm earns its place in my garden because it checks so many boxes.
It's easy to grow.
It's easy to propagate.
It gives generously when harvested.
And it's an herb I genuinely want to have available in my home.
That's really what I look for when choosing plants for an apothecary garden. I'm not interested in growing medicinal herbs simply so I can say they're there. I want herbs I will actually harvest, preserve, and use.
Lemon balm is certainly one of them.
Want to Grow Your Own Apothecary Garden?
If you're looking for a practical reference to keep with you throughout the growing season, my Apothecary Garden Growing Guide walks through how to grow, harvest, and use 20 medicinal herbs.
I originally made the kind of guide I wanted for myself—something I could print, slip into page protectors, and actually carry out to the garden when I needed to remember planting, watering or harvesting information.
And I still use mine throughout the growing season.
Apothecary Garden Growing Guide
Whether you're beginning with one little lemon balm plant in a pot or planting an entire medicinal herb garden, start with herbs your family will actually use.
Lemon balm is a pretty wonderful one to begin with.
A Little Lemon Balm for the Evening
Lemon balm has always felt especially fitting for the quieter part of the day. It's one of those gentle nervine herbs I like to reach for when it's time to settle down a little and let the busyness of the day go.
I've also discovered how much I enjoy having peaceful instrumental music playing while I'm working in the herb shop, tending herbs, cooking, or winding down at home—and, maybe a little unexpectedly, I've really come to enjoy creating this kind of music too.
That's what led me to start A Quiet Life in Bloom, where I share peaceful instrumental music inspired by herbs, gardens, homemaking and the ordinary rhythms of life here on our family farm.
Lemon Balm Moonlight was inspired by this lovely little herb and those quieter evening hours. It's something I enjoy listening to myself, and I'm happy to be able to share it with you, too.
Put it on while you make a cup of tea, work quietly around the house, read, or simply settle in for the evening.
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