Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Herbs
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
Southern Europe
Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Mediterranean, Turkey, Western Asia
Types
Melissa officinalis
Mountain silverbell , Rosea
Number of Varieties
53
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dappled Shade, Mediterranean region, Shady Edge, Woodland Garden
Floodplains, low mountains, Lower slopes, secondary forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-95-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-5
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
21,22
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm25.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
45.70 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Light Pink
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Light Green
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Acuminate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Spring, Late Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Deer resistant, Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Layering, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
occasional watering once established
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
-
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead flowers, Remove dead leaves
Prune grass to maintain level, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Gray leaf blight, Gray mold, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew
Pests and diseases free
Plant Tolerance
Deer resistant, Drought
Drought and Salt
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees
Bees, Flying insects
Allergy
Avoid during Pregnancy, Skin irritation
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Cottage Garden
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes, Wild gardens
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin, Skin Problems
-
Edible Uses
Insignificant
-
Environmental Uses
Deer resistant, Insect Repellent
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antiemetic, Anxiety, Appetite enhancer, Digestion problems, Insomnia, Sedative
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
-
Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Medicinal oil, Used as insect repellent, Used for its medicinal properties, Used in herbal medicines
Decoration Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
MELISSA officinalis
ORNITHOGALUM nutans
Common Name
Lemonbalm, balm, common balm, balm mint
Drooping Star-of-Bethlehem, Nodding Star-of-Bethlehem, Silver Bells
In Hindi
नींबू बाम
Silver bells
In German
Lemonbalm
Silver bells
In French
mélisse
Silver bells
In Spanish
Lemonbalm
Silver bells
In Greek
Lemonbalm
Silver bells
In Portuguese
Lemonbalm
Silver bells
In Polish
Lemonbalm
Silver bells
In Latin
CITRAGO
Silver bells
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Angiosperms
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Ebenales
Family
Lamiaceae
Asparagaceae
Genus
Melissa
Halesia
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Nepetoideae
-
Number of Species
44
1
27800
👆🏻