Lemon verbena questions

Leif

Does anyone grow lemon verbena in southern England? If so, how big does it get, and how deep are the roots? I want to grow some, but I am concerned as apparently it can grow quite tall, and a couple of sites are near buried pipes, perhaps 18" deep or more.

gazza975526570

a friend of mine tried but it died - apparently they do not tolerate cold at all and really you need to lift and protect for the colder months. Could take cuttings instead i guess.

Size wise can grow really tall - upwards of 10 foot and yeah the roots are very aggressive so beware where you plant it

annie123

My friend has one in her garden (near Dorking, surrey,), it's around 3' tall and very bushy, she prunes it back in the autumn no idea if it would get bigger if she didn't prune it.
Smells lovely, especially if you put a few cuttings in a clothes drawer.
No idea how deep the roots could get as she has it in a very large pot and wraps it up for the winter. She's had it for years, at least I think it the same one.
If you're concerned about roots, maybe a big pot?

Leif

Thanks both of you. I had not realised they were not fully hardy. I'm not sure I want to have one in a pot although it is one solution I guess. That is a shame as an alternative is lemon balm, but the smell reminds me of Pledge furniture polish!

annie123

She may just wrap it to protect the roots as it's more vulnerable in a pot

http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/herbs/kitchengarden/aloysia-citrodora-/itemno.PL00080144/

Leif

annie123 wrote: »

She may just wrap it to protect the roots as it's more vulnerable in a pot

http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/herbs/kitchengarden/aloysia-citrodora-/itemno.PL00080144/

Thanks, it might be worth a try in the ground. I guess there is not much to lose, but away from any pipes!

DaftyDuck

I grow it here in Kent, and it's coming round from the winter right now. Glorious scent, even from the woody stems. I'm in a pretty sheltered location here - and with a walled garden, but it's the same Lemon Verbena I was growing in Suffolk, and in North Yorkshire a few years back!

Clip it back to 6" above ground when the leaves fall in December, that's the key to winter survival. If you leave the full height of soft stem, frost kills the tips, and the plant dies back. Possibly put a bit of straw, or even fallen leaves around it, although I haven't bothered, not even up north. What I do do, is make a cuttings pot from the plant each Autumn. They root quite easily, and grow fast. I last needed to use it when in North Yorkshire*, and the spare cuttings come in handy for presents at this time each year.

*Actually, I didn't need to use the cuttings; the Lemon Verbena was just very late in coming back from the near-dead!

I really don't think the roots are that deep; it's a fairly lightweight bush, and I suspect the roots are no deeper than a foot or so at the most. I would doubt they'd damage a pipe even if they found it - mine is about 18" from my kitchen drain, and I'm not fussed by it.