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Melissa officinalis

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Characteristics

Plant type

Herbs - Culinary or Herbaceous Perennial

Habit

Bushy

Fragrance

Leaf

Resilience

Hardiness

old H4 (hardy)

Colour

Flower

White and Pale Purple in Summer

Foliage

Green in Autumn, Spring and Summer

Size

Ultimate height

0.5-1 metres

Ultimate spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2-5 years

Preferred common name

lemon balm

Family

Lamiaceae

Melissa are herbaceous perennials with broadly ovate, aromatic leaves and small 2-lipped white flowers in spikes in summer

M. officinalis is a bushy perennial with broadly ovate, lemon-scented leaves with scalloped edges, and leafy spikes of creamy-white or pale purple flowers in summer

Other common names

balm
balm leaf
balm oil plant
barm leaf
bee balm
dropsywort
honey plant
pimentary
sweet balm
sweet Mary
tea balm

Suppliers

Suppliers listed in RHS Plant Finder

How to grow

Sunlight

Full sun
Part shade

Aspect

South-facing or West-facing

Sheltered

Cultivation

Grow in any moist soil, in full sun or partial shade. Protect from excessive winter wet

Soil

Well-drained

Acid, Alkaline or Neutral

Chalk, Clay, Sand or Loam

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by division in spring or autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage/Informal Garden, Flower borders and beds or Wildlife Gardens

How to care

Pruning

Cut back hard after flowering to promote fresh leaf growth and to prevent seed setting as can be invasive

Pests

Can get leafhoppers

Diseases

Generally disease free

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