I keep mine in a bright room overwinter. I've had them drop all their leaves, sprout some back, and overall stay pretty spindly and weak through the winter, but when they are moved out in the spring, and all the long, weak growth is trimmed off, they bush back out nicely. The biggest fail I've had is in letting them dry out too much - they will not survive that. Keeping the soil evenly moist is probably the best thing you can do for them. I do my pineapple sage the same way, and a bay laurel, stevia, and this year I've added a yerba mate plant. All of these have a problem of being on the edge of too cold here in the winter.

You can bring it in. It will drop all leaves, but keep barely moist and it will stay dormant over winter. Watch for bugs--mine had aphids and whiteflies when I brought it in.

Would it drop leaves if you kept it in full sun with heat during the winter inside at70.

Mine tend to drop leaves when they come in, but once they start to become accustomed to the sunny room I put them in, the leaves start sprouting back out again - not as vigorously as they do outside, but nice leafyness!

Mine did regrow leaves after the initial pruning back. Part of the time it was in the basement near some other plants with lights. The leaves were small and pale, but it was also closer to 60 down there, and indirect light. Try it--see what works for you.

It will overwinter in Zones 6b-7b, if in a microclimate (next to house, sunny, etc.). It did overwinter for me for several winters. I did not have luck in the house.

Thanks, everyone! I will try and bring it inside and see how it goes. Haven't got much to loose, right? It'll certainly die outside here so if it dies inside I'm no worse off. I'll give it a go and see what happens!

I would like to know what to do with a lemon verbena plant that is now in my garden bed outside. I live in Vancouver, BC Canada and it's getting nippy out. I don't know the zone here. At this late time of the year, can I move it into a pot? It has grown from a small wee thing into a very unwieldy plant with long spindly branches going off in different directions. It can't stay in the small garden bed but I don't know if it would survive moving now.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated? Is it possible to add photos of this here? I also don't know what to do about the long spindly branches... thanks again.

Adding a photo.
this is the first time on this forum. thanks.

Cut it back a lot. Use the leaves for tea, dry for tea later, or even freeze. Dig and put in a pot. Keep moist but not too wet for winter. Move it back out after last frost next spring. Remove any spindly growth, and it should bush out nicely.

Is it not too late to put it in a pot? It's gotten chilly here and very wet as it's rainy here. Will it not make it if I put lots of mulch around it? Thanks for your suggestions re. cutting it back.

I see lemon verbena is a zone 8 plant. Sometimes you can get 1 zone bump via microclimates and so but not more than that. You'll have to bring in and store someplace where temperatures are no less than 20 degrees F or so if you want it to make the winter.

FataMorgana

I keep my LV in pots - move them in before frost, out after last frost. Cut them back a lot just before bringing in. They tend to last me many years.