Lemon Balm

Partial sun or shade; a herbaceous perennial with sagelike serrated leaves. Lemon balm spreads freely by rhizomes but not as aggressively as other mints. Its name, Melissa, is Greek for honeybee, since Mediterranean bees closely attended its tiny sweet flowers. “Lemon balm contains within it the virtues of a dozen other plants,” wrote Hildegard of Bingen, one of this plant’s many admirers. Considered to uplift the spirits, lemon balm is prepared in teas, tinctures, infusions, jams, jellies, and seasonings of all kinds. Crushed leaves rubbed on bare skin may repel mosquitoes as well.