Lemon Verbena

Lemon Verbena is my favorite herb in the garden. I like to use it for flavoring my tea. Ever since I recovered from cancer, I have to make sure to drink green tea for its antioxidant properties but I don’t particularly like the taste of it, so I have this idea of putting an herb like mint, lemon basil and lemon balm. Then I discovered this lemon verbena. It has the most delicious aroma of citrus and flower combine. I just have to plant it in my herb garden. It not only made my tea so good to drink now but they said it has some healing properties too like good for your digestion. When its time to prune the plant, I would dry the leaves and the scent would still be the same so its good for making potpourri too. It is also used in making herbal soaps and cosmetics.
The plant which is native to South America thrives in a sunny climate. It would actually last long in the garden as long as you keep it pruned and not allowed to flower. It takes patience to propagate this. I tried it once and been successful. Just cut a stem about six inches long and plant it in a pot with starter soil and water thoroughly throughout the growing season. Tip: try not to disturb it after you plant it. It’s very sensitive you know.

Similar Posts

  • Oregano

    Oregano is an herb that is mostly used in Italian cooking like pizza and pasta. I grow up using dried oregano for meat dishes along with other spices like bay leaf and safflower. I have never seen fresh oregano then. When I started gardening, I tried to look for all culinary herbs I can find….

  • Spearmint

    Spearmint is the most commonly used type in the family of mint. They refer to it as mint in recipes like the Vietnamese summer rolls or in the cocktail drinks like mojito. There are other varieties like peppermint, pineapple mint and chocolate mint. I just like to have them in the garden to use as…

  • Vietnamese Sorrel

    A gardener friend of mine gave me this plant but I don’t know the name. He’s Vietnamese so I figure I have to look it up as a Vietnamese plant. But since I have tasted it, it reminded me of the sorrel plant I used to have in my garden. It tasted the same, sour…

  • |

    Lavender Field

    This is a picture of the lavender field in Maui I took sometime ago when I attended the wedding of my nephew in Lahaina. It was the perfect opportunity for me to be close to my favorite herb of all, the lavender. Lavender is the most popular herb I know. Not only the flowers smell…

  • |

    Calendula

    Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) belongs to the  daisy family often known as marigolds.  It is also well known as Pot Marigold because during the old days calendula are utilized like herbs in a pot of stew hence the name “pot marigold”.

  • Kinchay

    Kinchay is an herb like celery but it is mainly the leaves that are being utilized. It is equivalent to lovage. I use it in stir-fries, chop suey, fried rice and noodles especially pancit bihon. Kinchay would also go together with green onions as a garnish for rice soup we call arroz caldo. The Kinchay…