Citrus & Bright

Lemon verbena is the most intensely lemon-scented leaf you can grow, and it is the classic French verveine - the infusion served after dinner across southern Europe. Lemon balm is gentler and greener. Neither is a citrus; both simply make citral, the same compound that gives lemon peel its smell.

Dried lemon verbena is a poor imitation of the fresh leaf, and it is almost never sold fresh because it wilts within a day. This is the collection where growing your own is not an upgrade but the only realistic access.