Melissa officinalis - Vilmorin Seeds
Melissa officinalis - Vilmorin Seeds
Melissa officinalis
Lemon Balm, Common Balm, Balm Mint
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This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty
More information
We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
Description
Melissa officinalis or lemon balm is a perennial bushy plant, very honey-bearing, both aromatic, condimental and medicinal. It is very easy to cultivate, in open ground or in a pot. Its leaves will bring a lemony note to your raw vegetables, fish dishes or desserts. It is also used for making infusions. Sow Melissa from April to June for a harvest from May to October.
Originally from the Mediterranean, Melissa is part of the Lamiaceae family, like mint, with which it is sometimes, at first glance, confused. It is a very honey-bearing herbaceous perennial. Its name actually comes from Greek, "melissa", which means "bee". Melissa officinalis is also called lemon balm, a name that refers to the lemony scent of its leaves, ideal for keeping mosquitoes away during the summer!
Choose carefully where you want to sow it. Melissa is a bushy plant that can reach 80cm (32in) in height and 50cm (20in) in width. It enjoys sunny exposures as much as partial shade. Sow it if possible in a somewhat isolated place because it tends to expand and could encroach on neighboring plants. To prevent Melissa from becoming invasive, don't forget to prune it during flowering. It is a very hardy plant, able to settle almost anywhere, and it also grows very well in pots, which allows you to control its spread.
In terms of cooking, fresh or dried Melissa leaves add a lemony note to raw vegetables, fish dishes or desserts. They can also be used in infusions.
Harvest: the leaves are harvested from May to October, as needed. It is in June that Melissa concentrates its aromatic qualities the most. If you want to dry the leaves, cut the stems when they are in buds.
Storage: consume fresh Melissa leaves to fully enjoy their scent. For longer storage, you can freeze or dry them. For drying, hang the stems in a ventilated, shady place, then put the leaves in airtight jars.
The gardener's little trick: After pruning, keep a few branches of Melissa to place in your closets to scent the clothes and keep away moths.
Harvest
Plant habit
Foliage
Botanical data
Melissa
officinalis
Lamiaceae
Lemon Balm, Common Balm, Balm Mint
Cultivar or hybrid
Perennial
Planting and care
Sowing of the balm:
Lemon balm likes fresh, fertile and light soils, but will be able to establish itself anywhere. Sow in spring, from April to June, under shelter or directly in place, at a depth of 1cm (0in). If necessary, thin out and transplant the young plants in place, at a distance of 50cm (20in) in all directions. Be vigilant regarding snails and slugs that may taste the young shoots.
Cultivating Lemon balm:
Water mainly in case of high heat. Prune regularly before or at the beginning of flowering to prevent spontaneous sowing. Cut the stems before frost and at the end of spring to promote the appearance of new leaves. Mulch at the base to protect from the cold.
You can propagate it by dividing the tillers in spring or autumn. This division should be done every about 5 years or regularly for pot cultivation.
Seedlings
Care
Intended location
Planting & care advice
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a (East Coast and Midlands: Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Portlaoise). It will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the north-west (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal, Westport), delay planting by 1 to 2 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 1 to 2 weeks in autumn compared to the dates given, preferably choosing periods without strong winds.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (Wicklow Mountains, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Connemara, Killarney), it is best to plant in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October), avoiding periods of waterlogged soil in winter and strong winds, which pose the main risk to newly planted trees in these areas.
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a, such as the East Coast and Midlands, including Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Portlaoise.
This will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the northwest (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal and Westport), it will be delayed by one to two weeks compared to the given dates, due to stronger Atlantic winds and less spring sunshine.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (the Wicklow Mountains, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Connemara and Killarney), flowering will be delayed by two to three weeks. Flowering mainly occurs between May and July, with the limiting factors being less frost and more of the excessive humidity, strong winds and lack of sunshine that are characteristic of these areas.
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