Kitchen Garden Forum

Anyone got any tips on overwintering this. Have got a plant in a pot and have moved it into a cold greenhouse for the winter. Is this enough?

Thanks

Sue

Possibly not; they are notoriously tender, I've lost about three plants in different locations. I now take cuttings and overwinter them indoors until the last frosts.

I have overwintered mine two years in a row in a cold greenhouse but my greenhouse is a Keder one which is a little warmer than a glass one.
Not offering any guarantees I'm afraid!

Hi Sue -
I have overwintered mine, in its large pot, in a cold greenhouse for the past ten years, and bring it out each spring. As a precaution I always cover the whole shrub with a large sheet of fleece or bubble-wrap, and also I wrap bubble-wrap around the pot to insulate it. When the leaves drop, the plant seems quite brittle and dead, but, come April, new shoots have never failed to appear again. Best of luck with yours.
Lyn

Hi Sue,
I seems to me that a combination of Deb P's and Lyn's methods seems probably the best way of handling the situation. It should then be a win win situation. If everything goes well you have a surplus and then you can send some to friends or simply increase your stock. If that in the greenhouse goes awry then not all is lost.
JB.

Just a further note - it can be quite late coming into leaf in the spring, so give it plenty of time and don't bin it thinking it's dead!
Also, if it's getting a bit leggy you can prune it back in late spring to bush it out a bit.

I managed to keep mine alive last winter with a combination of all of the above.

What do you use your Lemon Verbena FOR girls'n'boys??

Nothing whatsoever!
I sometimes pull off a leaf, crush it and smell the scent. Other than that it's just a pretty patio plant. But I'm sure I'll think of a use for it one day!

Hi Jenny,
What a wonderful reply. I would love to see Wellie's face when she reads that!!!
JB.

I have mine in a pot on the edge of some steps that lead from the grown-up girls greenhouse to the kitchen, and EVERY single time I pass it, I rub the leaves between my fingers, and breathe that wonderfully heady scent RIGHT up my little nostrils I do.......
I was waiting for a few more replies to my question, and then I was going to give you a lovely recipe for a Lemon Verbena, Ricotta and White Chocolate Mousse, with Lemon Verbena Syrup and Summer Fruit Compote.
But never mind..............!

Sounds like exactly the recipe I've been waiting for. Do tell please!
I've never smelt anything that smells so much like lemon sherbert.

Hi
I was just wondering what to do with my Lemon Verbena which has become a bit of a monster this summer and came across these recipies:

Lemon Verbena liqueur
Chop just half a cup of fresh lemon verbena leaves and put in a jar. Add 4 cups of vodka and let sit covered for two weeks, shaking every once in a while. After two weeks, add 2 cups of sugar and shake to dissolve. Let THAT sit for two weeks. Strain out the leaves, bottle the gloriously fragrant, delicious liqueur and either add it to desserts, or drink it straight, It tastes JUST the way fresh Lemon Verbena leaves smell


Greengage, blackberry and lemon verbena compote

1kg greengages
250g of blackberries
5 sprigs of lemon verbena
50ml of water
100g sugar (substitute honey if you prefer)
1 vanilla pod - split in half lengthwise

Split the greengages in half with a sharp knife and remove the stone. Place them into a heavy-based pan, add the blackberries, lemon verbena and the vanilla pod, then sprinkle over the sugar and pour over the water.

Place the pan over a medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook vigorously, stirring once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved and the blackberries have burst and bled their inky colour into the plums (about 8 minutes). Remove from the heat and allow to cool, before refrigerating. Wait until it's really well chilled - that's when the flavours are most fragrant - then serve with cream or thick, creamy, Greek-style yoghurt.

Thanks for the above! I must say it has never occurred to me to use the leaves in recipes like that. Apart from making a very nice herbal tea from the combined dried leaves of lemon verbena, mint and lemon balm, I usually just use the leaves in pot-pourri, and also mix them with dried lavender and rosemary, and stuff them in small cloth bags to keep the moths away.
Regards, Lyn

Dear All,
a lemon verbena has been growing at my place of work for over 16 years outside in the ground. It has a well drained gravelly soil and a very sheltered spot against a south wall. This year it got to over 8 feet and the flowers smell different to the leaves. I cover the rootstock with some of the surrounding soil and leave most of the top on over the winter to provide shelter. For the first few years I took cuttings but now I don't bother as the plant always seems to survive. (touch wood!!!!!)
I would try planting one if you have a spare in the spring and don't bother trying to mulch over winter as the flaming birds always pull it off.
Regards Sally Wright, Cambridge.

How much top growth do you prune off in the Spring Sally ? Just enough to 'tidy it up', or hard back to 'bush it out' ?
Mine has done so well in it's tub this year I think I'll pot it on next spring, and take your advice on pruning.........