Lemon Verbena

Scientific Name: Aloysia triphylla (L'Hér.) Britton
Synonym: Lippia citriodora, Verbena triphylla
Family: Verbenaceae

Recommended Temperature Zone:
Sunset®: 9,10,12-24
USDA: 8-11

Frost Tolerance: Hardy in Phoenix

Heat Tolerance: Avoid reflected heat.

Sun Exposure: Full sun to light shade

Origin: Wide spread range in western South America

Growth Habits: Semi deciduous, leggy bush to 6 feet tall (1.8 m), 4 feet wide (1.2 m)

Watering Needs: Regular water

Propagation: Semi hardwood cuttings in summer, softwood cuttings in spring, division in from late fall to early spring

The Lemon Verbena is one of the finest lemon scented herbs, it makes excellent herbal tea and pot-pourri. In herbal medicine, the tea from the Lemon Verbena is supposed to regularize menstrual flow.

Blooming Habits:
Small lavender flowers in late summer and fall.

Culture:
The lemon verbena generally loses its leaves and shrivels at the end of the winter. At that points it looks really dead. Be patient, the new leaves will come up in April. Trim it in early summer, and make cuttings from the excess vegetation. Remove dead stems in early summer. Prune regularly during the year. The flowers are grown on the current season growth.