Crazy for Citrus

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) comes up year after year throughout my pumpkin patch.  The lovely lemon fragrance with the hint of a floral bouquet is Divine. It never fails to uplift the spirits.  Sometimes called Bee balm, its tiny flowers certainly has an affinity for bees.  Melissa honey was once called “food for the Gods”.  It is worth noting that the essential oil is often adulterated because yields are low from the shy and retiring plants and thus expensive.   I am delighted to find sprigs of lemon balm among the pages of my favorite books in mid winter that were gathered from the garden during summer.  It makes the reading all the more interesting.

Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla) flourishes in the garden in summer and will winter over on a sunny window sill.  The lemon fragrance is like sunshine.  Lemon Verbena added to a sachet will imbue the mixture with a refreshing lemony perfume.

 Variegated Lemon Thyme (Thymus citriodorus) but I have fallen in love with Orange Balsam thyme.  It is easy to imagine that you are in an orange grove when trimming back Orange Balsam thyme.  In my experience it doesn’t overwinter on the windowsill well.  It is best left under mulch in the garden but if orange is a passion the citrus lover may find happiness with the acquisition of Calamondin Orange (Citrofortunella microcarpa).  In its native South East Asia, the Calamondin Orange is a shrub or small tree.  Though naturalized in the frost free regions of the southern U.S., northern Gardeners have adapted by cultivating it as a house plant.  The very dwarf tree will produce small edible fruits, which can be used to make marmalade, yields permitting.  The fragrance of the thin skinned fruits is delightfully citrus orange and sweet, belying the tart taste of the juice but tart makes for the best marmalade.

A recipe for Calamondin Orange Marmalade: 

 

 

 

 

 

Just follow the link

 http://athens.locallygrown.net/recipes/836  

There is a Lemon Savory (Satureja biflora) hailing from South Africa which is as lemony as lemons.  It is simply irresistible.

Last but not least are the citrus mints.  There are a variety of lemon mints, and there is a grapefruit mint (Mentha x piperita “Grapefruit”) but Orange mint, also known as Eau de cologne mint or Bergamot mint (Mentha aquatic “Citrata”) can only be described as beguiling.  I allow it to run riot through my garden regardless of its intrusion into the Iris rhizomes.

I forgot to mention all the citrus varieties of pelargonium for example there is Mabel Gray (Pelargonium Mabel Gray) and Prince of Orange (Pelargonium citrosum).  They grow on the window sill throughout the winter and their perfume will take your breath away. 

The Crazy for Citrus crowd cannot help themselves when it comes to seeking out new sources of that most captivating fragrance of lemon and lime and grapefruit, etcetera, etcetera.

 

Check out the following link

http://mountainroseblog.com/