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Lemon Verbena

Aloysia citriodora

Lemon Verbena is a herb in the Verbenaceae family. It grows best in full sun with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 8-11.

Varieties

1 · sorted by days to maturity
  • Lemon Verbena

    PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Woody perennial (not currently in seed catalog). Use: Intensely lemon-scented leaves for teas, desserts, cooking. Harvest: Harvest leaves through the season; dries well.

    Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citriodora) is a woody, tender perennial with the most intense true-lemon fragrance of any herb. Propagated from cuttings. Hardy in zones 8-11; grown as a container plant or dieback perennial in cooler regions.

    Growing notes: Botanical name: Aloysia citriodora|Hardiness zones: 8-11|Propagation: cutting|Sun needs: Full sun|Water needs: Medium|Mature height: 3-6 feet (to 10 ft in warm climates)|Spacing: 30 inches|Harvest: Harvest leaves through the season; dries well

Family
Verbenaceae
Category
Herb
Form
Shrub
Lifecycle
perennial
Zone
8-11
Height
3–6 ft
Spread
3–5 ft
Sun
Full sun
Water
Medium

Plan your lemon verbena planting

Add lemon verbena to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.

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At a glance

Frost tolerance
Hardy · to ~20°F
Lowest temperature the foliage usually survives

Storing & preserving

Refrigerate stems in water, or wrap in a damp towel for a few days.

  • Dry: Dehydrate or air-dry, then store airtight away from light.
  • Freeze: Freeze chopped in oil or water in ice-cube trays.

General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Growing timeline

Propagation
Cutting
Schedule anchor
Last Frost

Care & troubleshooting

No curated care & troubleshooting advice for lemon verbena yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.