Some plants should be in everybody’s garden, and lemon verbena is one of them. Lemon is a botanical scent that everyone loves. There is something inherently medicinal and cleansing about it.
Lemon verbena is not a glamorous plant, and that is why it’s universally appreciated. What one person considers gorgeous or glamorous – take bougainvillea for instance – someone else considers garish, ostentatious, or just plain boring. Also, it’s one thing to be wowed by a plant when you first see it, or even drive by it on your daily commute, but something else entirely when you have to live with it.
The nearby presence of lemon verbena (Aloysia citriodora), a native of Chile, Argentina, and Peru, will make the heart grow fonder for it each day. This plant may end up in a corner of your garden, or off to the side, for lemon verbena has a background role to play in an ornamental garden. And yet, when relatives or friends come over, and you have all but finished the grand tour of your garden – when the roses have been suitably admired, the exotics from distant continents fawned over, the tomatoes tasted and the California natives given their due – you will stop in front of the lemon verbena and exclaim, “Now, here is something really special!’” You will then likely observe shrugging shoulders and perplexed expressions since the plant contradicts common conceptions of botanical beauty. But then you will say, “Pick a leaf, crush it between your fingers, and smell.” In a moment, perplexity will turn to smiles, affirmation and wide-open eyes. “What is this plant?!’” your guests will enthusiastically inquire.
Olfactory experts generally agree that no plant has a more intense lemony fragrance than lemon verbena. Its crushed leaves exude a sweet lemon scent that could have escaped from Chanel’s perfumery. Its leaves are regularly used in tea, as well as in flavoring cakes and for potpourri. As for medicinal properties, many peer-reviewed scientific papers extol its healing effects. Lemon verbena has been used effectively for treating a variety of bacterial and fungal infections.
Lemon verbena needs a bit more water than the average plant found in Los Angeles gardens. Still, one good soaking per week for a mature plant is sufficient irrigation even in the hottest weather. Although the Sunset Western Garden Book recommends planting it in full sun, Valley gardeners will economize on water, and not sacrifice much on growth, by planting it in half-day or slightly filtered sun. The only danger of reducing sunlight to this plant is that you make it more susceptible to aphids and whiteflies.
Lemon verbena has simple lanceolate leaves that grow in whorls of three around its stems. It is a shrub without a definite shape and may grow as tall as ten feet. Its ornamental value is limited, partly owing to its semi-deciduous growth habit, which brings about leaf yellowing and leaf drop during winter. In April, you may think it’s dead since there is no growth during the first half of spring. You will strongly consider removing it, but be patient. Although leafless into May, it will be lush by summer’s end.
As with most herbs, the fragrance of its leaves is most intense when it flowers, which happens to be in late summer and early autumn. The flowers are white and pale violet and occur in large panicles on shoot terminals. Lemon verbena should be pruned sparingly.
Lemon verbena may be grown outdoors throughout Los Angeles, but should not be used for landscapes in the Antelope Valley, where a cold winter could kill it. However, it makes a wonderful container specimen and is successfully grown indoors in a bright and airy room. It also does well on patios or balconies that receive a fair amount of sun. Soil should be well-drained to moderately water-retentive.
If you want a more extensive lemon-scented garden, add lemon basil (Ocimum x africanum), lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus), lemongrass (Cymbopogon spp.), lemon geranium (Pelargonium crispum), lemon balm (Melissa citriodora), lemon catmint (Nepeta cataria citriodora ‘Lemony’), lemon beebalm (Monarda citriodora), and lemon mint (Mentha x piperita citrata). All do well in half-day sun exposures in our interior valleys, but will benefit from increasing sun exposure as you approach the coast. With the exception of lemon grass, all are low-growing ground covers.
As fall begins and flowers fade, the eye will likely shift its focus to the visual delight afforded by the bark of certain trees, such as the stunning exfoliating cinnamon-colored bark on several crepe myrtle (Lagerstreomia indica) varieties. These varieties are all mildew-resistant Fauriei hybrids and include the heavy-blooming, white-flowered ‘Natchez,’ lavender-pink ‘Muskogee’,’ and true pink ‘Pecos,’ an excellent selection for small spaces that grows to only 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. I often wonder what our parkways would look like following leaf fall if the crape myrtles in them were the cinnamon bark varieties, all of which are grown by Monrovia Nursery (monrovia.com) and are available through its retail outlets.
Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus) is an evergreen with a columnar growth habit and highly unusual fern-like foliage whose common name describes the color of its rusty bark. Incense cedar (Calocedrus/Libocedrus decurrens) is somewhat of a garden rarity, even though it grows easily in our area, possesses aromatic, reddish-bronze bark in addition to distinctive foliar fans and a pyramidal shape that never needs pruning. If you have the patience to grow them from seed, you can purchase incense cedar seeds on eBay for a few dollars. From personal experience, I can assure you that they germinate without difficulty. I am fortunate to have a neighbor with an incense cedar growing in his front yard. I remember when he transplanted it, as a small volunteer seedling, from his parents’ backyard near Lake Tahoe where it had first taken root.
The strawberry tree (Arbutus undeo) has edible, if bland fruit, but its smooth maroon bark is beyond reproach. The ‘Marina’ variety, which has become one of the most popular ornamental trees, has a plethora of pink, urn-shaped flowers as well.
Everyone knows about European white birch (Betula pendula) and its papery white bark, but our own red or river birch (Betula occidentalis) is also worthy of consideration as a moderately sized ornamental tree. Red birch has smooth coppery bark highlighted by white lenticels or slits which facilitate gas exchange between the trunk’s interior cells and the outside air. Red birch grows slowly to around 40 feet and, although a California native, requires regular moisture because of its riparian habitat, which means that, in nature, it is found growing on the banks of rivers or streams.
White alder (Alnus rhombifolia) is another California native riparian tree. Its whitish to ash gray bark is marked with captivating eye-shaped scars, indications of where branches were once attached. When given proper spacing, this tree is highly elegant and symmetrical and requires little pruning even after it reaches its mature height of 50 feet. Its shimmering green foliage always looks like it has just been washed in the rain. Not to forget the California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), whose mottled, exfoliating bark is also a perpetual sight to see.
No discussion of beautiful bark would be complete without mention of the lemon-scented gum (Eucalyptus citriodora). The alabaster trunk of this beauty imparts a unique backyard presence although you will need a humongous backyard to appreciate it since it skies to 90 feet. A collection of lemon-scented gums may be viewed at the rear of Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park along Hartsook Street. Mindanao gum or rainbow eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta) grows famously on the edge of the UCLA botanical garden in Westwood, with peeling bark that is painted in pink, lavender and yellow-green. This tree is tropical and cold-sensitive so that, in the Valley, it should be given ample summer water and frost protection until it is robust enough, after a few years in the ground, to fend for itself. By the way, the term “gum” refers to eucalyptus species with exfoliating bark.
Tip of the Week: Anyone who has seen a mature bigberry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca) will want to plant one. This species’ smoothly polished, cinnamon-red bark has no rival in the botanical world. It is a slow-growing, highly manageable tree that, once established in the garden, will never need watering. You may want to conduct a very gentle pruning, every now then, to encourage symmetrical growth in its early years. Sometimes considered a large shrub, bigberry manzanita can be trained into a tree that will eventually reach 15 feet in height. Its pinkish-white, urn-shaped flowers, blue-gray foliage, and exfoliating bark will keep you entranced throughout the year. You can procure a one-gallon size bigberry manzanita at Theodore Payne Nursery in Sun Valley for $12.
Please send questions, comments, and photos to joshua@perfectplants.com
