Citronella Lemon Balm Plant

Botanically named Melissa officinalis ‘Citronella’, this selected variety offers especially aromatic foliage and reportedly higher essential-oil content than standard forms. When you crush the leaves, they smell remarkably like freshly squeezed lemon.

This herbaceous perennial develops a compact, upright form to approximately 30 cm, making it ideal for pots, courtyard gardens, and productive herb beds. Gardeners also value its improved mildew resistance, which is useful where humid weather challenges leafy herbs.

Grow it in fertile, moist but freely draining soil, in sun or partial shade. Keep a container near the kitchen to have its fragrant leaves close at hand. Harvest regularly to encourage fresh shoots, and enjoy bees visiting its flowers.

Despite its name, this is not the same plant as our Citronella Grass Plant. It belongs to the mint family and has soft, crinkled leaves.

For centuries, European gardeners have cultivated lemon balm in herb gardens, where its fragrant foliage became associated with teas and bee-friendly plantings. The ‘Citronella’ selection carries that story forward with concentrated scent and compact growth.

Finely chop fresh leaves and add them to salads or stir them into soups and stews near the end of cooking. Dry the foliage to make a bright, aromatic herbal infusion; for a ready-harvested option, explore our Lemon Balm Dried Leaf.

Other common names associated with this cultivar or its species are Citronella Balm, Lemon Balm ‘Citronella’, Lemon Balm, Common Balm, Balm, Balm Mint, Garden Balm, Melissa Balm, Melissa, Sweet Balm, Gentle Balm, Bee Balm, Bee Herb, Blue Balm, Dropsy Plant and Citronella. Because several of these names also describe unrelated plants, the botanical name provides the clearest identification.