Bursting with a relaxing, soothing scent, this is the most fragrant, flavorful variety available. A lush, bushy growth habit with flowers that attract bees and butterflies. Use Citronella Lemon Balm in herbal teas, fruit, and fish dishes, or plant in a pot as a mosquito repellent for your outdoor sitting area.

50 seeds

PLANTING

Melissa officinalis

Perennial, Zones4-9

Germination:7-21days

Germination Temperature:Optimum soil temperatures 65-75F

Seed Planting Depth:Sow on the surface, seeds need light to germinate

Starting Indoors: Start indoors6-8weeks before the last frost. Provide 65-75F soil temperature for germination. Transplant12-18 apart after the last frost.

Sowing Outdoors:Direct sow 2 weeks before the last frost or in autumn.Sow a few seeds every 6-8″ apart, thin to the most robust seedling, 12-18 apart, or sow seeds close together in a row and when thinning out the seedlings transplant them to other places in the garden.

Growth Habit:Upright branching

Height and Width:36-48 x 24-36

Spacing:12-18 apart

Light Needs:Full sun, part shade in hot climates

Soil Needs:Average to fertile, well-drained.

Approximate days to harvest:65-70 days or earlier, when the planthas grown large enough,harvestthe leaves before the plant blooms.

Uses:Medicinal, culinary, ornamental, deer resistant, ideal for containers and small spaces, attracts bees and beneficals