Lemon verbena care guide

Pets and children

How often to water Lemon verbena

Spring–Summer (Mar–Sep)

Every 2 days

It drinks freely in growth: water thoroughly once the topsoil is dry, as a guide, checking morning and evening in summer when it dries fast.

Autumn (Oct–Nov)

Every 3 days

As the leaves begin to drop, stretch the gaps and water once the soil is dry, as a guide.

Winter (Dec–Feb)

Every 10 days

Leafless and resting, it needs only sparing water a few days after the soil dries, as a guide.

Light and placement for Lemon verbena

Generally wants full sun and moving air, with a sunny outdoor spot as the guide; in low light the shoots stretch and the scent weakens, while it copes fairly well with midsummer sun.

Overwintering Lemon verbena

Overwintering guide: −3°C (27°F) or above

Only moderately hardy: as a guide, move it under frost-free eaves or indoors when nights fall below about 5°C; it drops its leaves and rests, so water sparingly and avoid hard pruning until it sprouts in spring.

Fertilizing and repotting Lemon verbena

Fertilizer

From May to September, slow-release fertilizer about every two months or diluted liquid feed about every two weeks, as a guide; none in winter.

When to repot

Spring–Summer (Mar–Sep)

Common problems with Lemon verbena

• Left outdoors, it freezes in winter and dies back to the roots.
• Winter leaf drop is mistaken for death and the plant is discarded.
• Root-bound, the leaves yellow and the pot dries out constantly.
• Drying out in midsummer makes the leaves drop.

Tips for growing Lemon verbena

• Prune after new growth shows in spring, when dead wood is easy to tell apart.
• The scent is strongest in leaves picked before flowering, and it keeps well when dried.
• Root cuttings of young shoots in early summer to have a spare plant.

More herb care guides

• LemongrassCymbopogon citratus
• OreganoOriganum vulgare
• ParsleyPetroselinum crispum
• PeppermintMentha × piperita
• RosemarySalvia rosmarinus
• ShisoPerilla frutescens