How to Harvest Lemon Verbena

Overview

Lemon Verbena herb is often grown to flavor oils, teas, beverages, jellies, salads, meats, and a wide variety of other dishes. It is also used to scent massage oils, sachets and potpourris. Whether you're growing lemon verbena for crafts around your home or for home cooked meals, you'll find it's easy to harvest what you need. You can use your herb fresh, or dry it for later. Here's how to harvest your lemon verbena plant.

Step 1

Harvest the leaves of your lemon verbena throughout the spring and summer as needed by removing individual leaves.

Step 2

Trim down each branch by cutting half of the stem off with your pruning scissors when you want to harvest your lemon verbena to be dried. You can do this anytime throughout the summer, or in the fall before your plant goes dormant.

Step 3

Wash your lemon verbena and let it air dry on a paper towel. Gather your branches once they are dry into half-inch thick bundles and secure them with a rubber band.

Step 4

Hang your bundles of lemon verbena upside down in a warm and dark location for one month to dry.

Step 5

Store your dried lemon verbena in an airtight container.