Perennial
How to grow lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
Lemon balm is a fully hardy perennial that grows in almost any soil, in sun or part shade. Plant it from March to May, 45 to 60 cm apart, or in a 25 to 30 cm pot. In a small kitchen garden the pot is the better choice, as it confines the roots. The work is in controlling it: shear the whole plant to 10 cm just before it flowers in June or July, which brings fresh, well-scented leaves and stops it seeding itself everywhere.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Position
- Sun to part shade
- Soil
- Most soils, moisture-retentive
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting lemon balm
WhenPlant Mar to May; harvest May to Sep; cut back after flowering
Starting off
Plant Mar to May. Surface-sow indoors in Mar at 18 to 21°C without covering, as the seed needs light; it germinates in 10 to 21 days. Divide clumps in Mar or Sep, or take 8 cm softwood cuttings in May to Jun, which root in three weeks. Self-sown seedlings in spring transplant easily.
Spacing and planting
Plant 45 to 60 cm apart (spread 60 cm, height 60 to 90 cm), sowing on the surface or barely covered. Fine in a 25 to 30 cm pot, which is the best way to stop it seeding across the bed.
Varieties worth growing
- Melissa officinalis (the species)
- Plain green, the most vigorous and the strongest lemon scent. The one to grow for tea and the kitchen.
- 'Aurea' (variegated lemon balm)
- Green leaves splashed with gold, brightest in spring. The variegation fades in summer and returns on new growth after a hard cut.
- 'All Gold'
- Entirely yellow leaves that light up a shaded corner. It scorches in full sun, so give it part shade, and it is less vigorous than the green form.
Lemon balm month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do. The top growth has died back.
- February
Cut away last year's dead stems before the new shoots get going.
- March
Plant, or lift and divide old clumps. Sow on the surface of a pot indoors.
- April
Plant out. Hoe off or pot up self-sown seedlings.
- May
Last month for planting. Start picking. Take softwood cuttings.
- June
Shear to 10 cm just before the flowers open. Water and it will regrow.
- July
Pick from the second flush. Cut back any plants that were missed and are now flowering.
- August
Second cut if the plant is trying to flower again. Dry or freeze leaves.
- September
Last pickings. Divide clumps while the soil is warm.
- October
Cut off any remaining seed heads before they shed.
- November
Cut stems down to the base, or leave them until February for overwintering insects, provided the seed heads are off.
- December
Nothing to do.
Feeding lemon balm
Lemon balm needs no feeding in the ground and is more often too vigorous than too weak. Only plants kept in pots for more than a season need anything, and fresh compost does most of that job.
Low, it's vigorous and easy, needing little feeding.
Feeding plan
In the ground, every year
No feed
Nothing. On very dry soil a 5 cm mulch of garden compost in March helps it hold water.
Potting or repotting, every two years in March
5 ml per litre of compost, the low end of the label, mixed through: 60 ml (4 tablespoons) for a 30 cm pot holding about 12 litres.
Pots, after the midsummer cut-back
1 g per litre of water as a drench, once, and again 2 to 3 weeks later if the regrowth is pale.
Signs to watch
Lower leaves yellow and edges brown in a dry bed
Drought scorch, not hunger
Soak and mulch
Pale, small leaves in a pot after two years
Nitrogen exhausted
Repot in fresh compost
Older leaves yellow between green veins
Magnesium short
Epsom salts
Sparse, bare centre
Old clump
Divide in Mar
Pests, diseases and problems
Seedlings coming up in paths, gravel and neighbouring pots
Self-seeding; one flowering plant sheds thousands of seeds
Cut the plant to 10 cm before or as soon as it flowers. Hoe seedlings off in spring while they are small, or lift a few to give away.
Leaves coarse, small and dull with a faint or soapy scent by midsummer
The plant has flowered and the old foliage has aged
Shear to 10 cm, water well and new scented leaves follow in two to three weeks.
White powdery coating on leaves in late summer
Powdery mildew, on plants that are dry at the root
Cut back hard, water thoroughly and mulch. The regrowth is usually clean.
Leaves covered in pale, fine speckling on the upper surface
Leafhoppers feeding on the undersides, common on herbs in the mint family
It is cosmetic and the leaves are still usable. Shear off the marked growth; there is no need to treat.
Plain green shoots appearing on a variegated or golden plant
Reversion, or self-sown green seedlings growing up through the clump
Cut reverted shoots out at the base as soon as you see them and pull out seedlings round the crown.
Yellow leaves of 'All Gold' turn brown and crisp at the edges
Sun scorch
Move it to part shade, or grow it in a pot that can be shifted out of the midday sun.
Harvest and rotation
Harvest and storage
Pick leaves from May, and shear the whole plant to 10 cm just before flowering in Jun to Jul for the best scent and a second flush; two or three cuts give 200 to 300 g a season. Use fresh, or freeze chopped in ice cubes; dry quickly in a warm, dark, airy spot, as slow drying turns the leaves black and scentless.
Rotation and companions
No rotation needed. Keep it in a pot beside mint and clear of small herbs such as thyme and chervil, which it shades and self-seeds over.
Good to knowSelf-seeds freely and spreads; cut it back after flowering to control it and refresh the leaves.
Growing lemon balm in pots
A pot is the sensible way to grow lemon balm in a small garden, because it confines the roots and makes it easy to cut the plant down before it seeds. Use a 25 to 30 cm pot of multipurpose or loam-based compost and water regularly in summer; it wilts quickly in a dry pot but recovers. Cut back hard in June or July and again in autumn. Every two years, in March, knock it out, split the clump and replant a quarter of it in fresh compost. The pot can stay outside all winter.
Lemon balm: common questions
Is lemon balm invasive?
It can be, through seed rather than roots. Unlike mint it does not send out runners, and the clump widens only slowly, but a plant left to flower seeds itself across beds, paths and pots. Cutting it back before flowering, or growing it in a pot, keeps it in check.
When should I cut back lemon balm?
Cut it back to about 10 cm in June or July, just as the flower buds form. This gives a second flush of fresh leaves and prevents self-seeding. Cut the dead stems to the ground in late autumn or in February.
Does lemon balm grow in shade?
Yes, lemon balm grows well in part shade, though the scent is strongest with a few hours of sun. The golden form 'All Gold' is better in shade than in sun, where its leaves scorch.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.