Several years ago when we opened e-mail addresses, I decided that I would not use my real name, but an herb. It was easy to pick the herb, lemon verbena (
Aloysia triphylla) was it. Cedron is Spanish for lemon verbena. It was the herb of the princess (Maria Louisa, wife of King Charles IV of Spain). Don't confuse it with lemon grass. It is a plant of American origin (that is Chile). It is a perennial in tropical areas that can reach to ten feet high. It is a tender perennial for us in the north. We always have it on our kitchen windowsill in the winter. When you bring it in, it will play dead and lose its leaves. Use them for tea, in a tea bread (recipe follows) or in potpourri. You should water it every week to ten days. Then in December cut it back to about three or four inches. In February it will resprout and by the time it is ready to go outside in May, you will have a plant like the one in the photo above.
Here are some of my favorite thoughts about lemon verbena.
In
The Herbal Home Companion, Theresa Loe writes that "In
Gone with the Wind, lemon verbena was mentioned as the favorite cologne of Scarlet O'Hara's mother."
"Can be used in place of lemon juice in hot tea and iced drinks."
In
The Best of Thymes, Marge Clark talks about using dried lemon verbena leaves. "I treat dried lemon verbena leaves like bay leaves. Since the leaves are rather coarse and dry. I try to use them whole-leaf so they can be removed at the end of cooking. If leaves are not or cannot be used whole, then chop them fine or, better yet, whirl in food processor or blender to make a powder. Fresh leaves are best for cooking."
In
Growing & Using Herbs with Confidence, Bertha
Reppert talks about the history of lemon verbena when she writes "Housewives once sewed lemon verbena leaves into the darts of their Sunday dresses, replacing them when necessary--a fragrant, natural deodorant."
Here is my favorite lemon verbena recipe. It comes from the February/March, 1990
The Herb Companion magazine:
Lemon Verbena Bread
1 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves chopped
1-1/2 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
Grated rind of 1 lemon
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Cream butter with verbena leaves in mixer or food processor. I use my food processor. Add sugar and beat well, then eggs, salt and remaining ingredients. Grease loaf pans: 1 large, 2 small or 4 minis and pour in batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 65 minutes. I usually bake it in one large pan. Bake until bread tests done with a toothpick or cake tester. Meanwhile, prepare glaze. (I usually don't use the glaze.) I'm giving it to you because every person's taste is different. Leave loaf in pan. While it is still hot, pour glaze over it and let sit several hours. Remove loaf from pan. Wrap in foil to ripen overnight before serving, or freeze immediately.
Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon verbena leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
This is what lemon verbena looks like in the garden. The flowers are insignificant. The leaves are why you are growing this plant. The clear and crisp flavor of lemon is another reason you will want this in the garden. Give it well-drained soil and full sun and you will be rewarded with a four-foot gem. So what's in an herbal name? The best herb in the world!
We have had a string of beautiful sunny days in the garden. This picture shows how it really is in winter in western Pennsylvania. Dreary to say the least. I think though that you will see how herbs do lighten up a landscape even when it is a rainy, cloudy day in the garden. Herbs are a positive influence in my garden.
I always try to have an herbal bouquet on our dining room table in the summer. Since the days are much cooler and there aren't as many flowers in our garden, it is even more important to bring color in when you can. This particular bouquet has tansy flowers, a Fairy rose, pineapple mint, orange mint, lemon balm, golden sage (although it looks very green) and calendula which is this year's herb of the year. In the background is a bunch of 'Minette' basil in water. We still have wonderful tomatoes to make salads! Can't cut all of the basil! Basil resents temperatures in the 40's and starts to turn black. So I wanted to make sure that I didn't forget it in the garden. Bring in the herb garden while you can and brighten your day!
The nurseries around my house do not offer this particular basil variety. I had to go to Ohio to find it. So if you are fortunate enough to live near a good nursery that carries a variety of herbs, you may be able to get 'Minette'. It is better than even 'Spicy Globe'. It keeps its shape and is very prolific! Here is the 'Minette' early on in the garden. It's the fourth plant from the left. The little round mound.
Several years ago when we opened e-mail addresses, I decided that I would not use my real name, but an herb. It was easy to pick the herb, lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) was it. Cedron is Spanish for lemon verbena. It was the herb of the princess (Maria Louisa, wife of King Charles IV of Spain). Don't confuse it with lemon grass. It is a plant of American origin (that is Chile). It is a perennial in tropical areas that can reach to ten feet high. It is a tender perennial for us in the north. We always have it on our kitchen windowsill in the winter. When you bring it in, it will play dead and lose its leaves. Use them for tea, in a tea bread (recipe follows) or in potpourri. You should water it every week to ten days. Then in December cut it back to about three or four inches. In February it will resprout and by the time it is ready to go outside in May, you will have a plant like the one in the photo above.
This is a favorite edible flower from Peru, the nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) flowers and leaves are both edible. They were grown by kings such as Louis XIV of France and President Thomas Jefferson grew them also. The flowers and leaves have a peppery taste. The flowers shown in the picture below are from the 'Whirlybird' series because they do not have a spur. A little crook in the back of the flower is the spur. It can hide insects taking a nap, small ants in particular! They grow very easily in well drained soil and do not need fertilizer because that will lead to more leaves than flowers. The plants are very easily grown from seed so it would be a good one to plant with your kids. The variegated leaf is from the 'Alaska' series. Sometimes the leaves get as big as doilies and I have used them as such on an appetizer platter. One of my favorite ways to eat the flowers is filled with guacamole. Don't forget to take out the reproductive parts of the flower before eating and only eat organically grown flowers. They are a great fall flowering plant until a hard frost comes along. 
Here is one of my favorite annual flowers from Peru. They are on British time because instead of blooming at 4:00 o'clock as their name implies, they bloom at 11:00 A.M! Four o'clocks are fragrant, easy to plant from seed and are a staple in our garden. They would be a good flower for children to plant and grow. They come in white, yellow and this magenta color. They bloom from late July through frost. The seeds are big and black, drop to the ground and reseed easily if they like the spot. Annuals bridge the gap between perennials in the garden. Don't forget to plant them!
Well, the hummingbird has continued to visit the pineapple sage and butterfly bushes in our garden. She even tried to get something from the tansy! I hope you can see it in the bottom left of the picture on the butterfly bush 'Black Knight'. Click on the picture to enlarge it.
