Today when I returned home from church I noticed a swallowtail butterfly, a hummingbird with an iridescent green back, and several bees all feeding at the lantana. We have a couple of confetti type lantana with pink and yellow and white colored blossoms. I stood there for quite a while and the hummingbird would take off , fly across the street, or over to the neighbors and then come right back. I was very still, and it flew within a foot of where I was standing.
We have a very useful herb growing next to the driveway near the lantana, and next to the lavender.
It is melissa officnalis, or lemon balm. Lemon balm is a perennial in the mint family that grows in sun or shade, but it really likes partial shade the best, and it likes moist, well drained soil. How it and the lavender are existing next to each other in the same planter behind the retaining wall, is a mystery to me. I didn't pay too much attention to water requirements when I stuck those plants together several years ago!
Lemon balm is a very useful herb both medicinally, and for culinary purposes. Lemon balm has been used as a remedy for colds and flu for centuries,also to relieve menstrual cramps and headaches. The crushed leaves have been used on insect bites and wounds, and can be added to bath water. In the kitchen ,the leaves make a delicious tea, and a good flavoring in soups, salads, and any dish that would be improved with a lemony addition.
Lemon balm is also used in perfumes and cosmetics.
Lemon balm does die back for the winter, so if you want to preserve it , it can be harvested and tied in small bundles then hung up to dry. Dry leaves retain their fragrance.
Bees love the nectar in it's tiny white flowers. Lemon balm has been grown for its nectar for 2,000 years!
Two of my favorite sources for herbal information are: (unbelievably for this first one) The Readers Digest Magic and Medicine of Plants because it has good color illustrations, and identification descriptions and also The Complete Herb Book by Maggie Stuckey. I have been using and taking notes from these books for years.
Susan
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