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Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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Posted by gldno1 z6MO (My Page) on Tue, Jan 31, 06 at 16:20
| Lovely plant, but can become a weedy nuisance and is very, very difficult to eradicate......I am still trying. Now, if you have a dry spot that needs a very persistant ground cover, you have the plant!
I would be very wary of planting it in a perennial bed. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| So true. I have it in one of the raised beds, but I am thinking of removing it. it hasn't migrated much - the pumpkin vines seem to have kept it in check. Still, I could use the space for something more useful, so out it goes! Diana |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| Mine will go in a pot. I have heard the stories ; ) |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| I have mine directly in the herb bed, but three times a year I whack it. Then twice a year I dig out chunks of it since I pot it up for the church greenhouse and our herb sales there. We always worn customers about mint and lemon balm! GGG |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| Never had that problem with lemon balm. She's a lady in my garden. |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| She's a lady in my garden, too. Of course I live in Texas, where we LOOK for the words "may become invasive" so we can find things tough enough to survive! *snicker* |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| I haven't had any trouble with Lemon Balm here in Nebraska. I do have it in the shade which might keep it calmer and not as take over:) Stacie |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| First time to this forum. Have also found lemon balm to be invasive, but also keeps bugs away. Will keep it mixed in where I want to repel pests. Pots are great solution. |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| I bought my house at the end of winter, and moved in just when things were starting to come up. Well, there were a few jewels, but I found that mostly I had HUGE beds of the old-fashioned invasive daylily and, in back, a patch of spearmint that extended about ten feet out from the back of the house. Holy cow. I like mint, but... This will be my third summer here, and I expect to still be pulling out mint, probably forever, but at least it is enough in control I can plant other things and not lose them, as long as I am diligent about getting the mint out when it pops up. Which it does, without warning. Oh, yeah, there was the bed of lily-of-the-valley with designs on my driveway, too... Dayle Ann |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| Can anyone tell me what you are using your lemon balm for? One mentioned that it repels bugs. Anyone use it for anything else? |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| gurley, I use it to make a tea bread, but that's about it. Last year I grew lemon verbena and found I really prefer it over lemon balm. Lemon Herb Tea Bread 3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemon balm
1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemon thyme (or use lemon balm)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
Lemon Glaze COMBINE first 3 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes until cool. BEAT butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. COMBINE flour and next 2 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at low speed after each addition until blended. Stir in lemon rind. Pour batter into a greased and sugared or floured 9-x5-x3-inch loafpan. BAKE at 325 degrees for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely. Drizzle Lemon Glaze over bread. LEMON GLAZE: Combine 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a small bowl; stir until smooth. NOTE: I prefer to make this recipe using 3 mini loaf pans. I bake them for 48-50 minutes. You can also substitute lemon balm for the lemon thyme. 
Harper |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| Oh Yeah..... that looks like a good reason to grow lemon balm, or anything else lemony. |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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| Harper-- Mind if I copy this recipe? It looks better than mine. Jeannine--I can see this in your new herb retreat!!!! I'm planning on adding lemon verbena. gldno1-- I agree it can get agressive but my BES fight for territory. georgeanne |
RE: Beware Lemon Balm, melissa officinalis!!
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gurley, You can use lemon balm for lotsa stuff, like a tea to help you go to sleep. Look in wikipedia.
Robin |
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