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Last year two new lemony plants were introduced and after trying them.  I wanted to recommend them to you.

Try the new ‘Lemon Sculpture’ scented geranium with horizontal branches and tightly curled leaves for a structured, bonsai-like effect. ‘Lemon Sculpture’ can grow up to 3 feet tall, and because it does well in low light, you can use it to add subtle flavor not only to your food, but also to your home. This intriguing geranium will be available exclusively from Richters, www.richters.com.

‘Pink Lemonade’ is a creeping lemon-scented thyme that works beautifully in stone walkways, pavers and as a ground cover. Unlike other compact lemon thymes, this one has delicate pink flowers. Thyme is attractive to bees and butterflies, some of which feed exclusively on thyme varieties. The plant is available from Mountain Valley Growers, www.MountainValleyGrowers.com. 

My penchant for lemon herbs forced me to try these last season and I think they are grand!  Why don't you check them out.  For my list of the top 10 herbs to grow this year visit our NEWSLETTER!

Tags: backyard patch, geranium, herb, lemon, lemon herbs, thyme

Lemon Soup

• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 egg
• 1 small lemon
• 1/2 cup cooked rice or orzo
• freshly chopped lemon thyme

Heat the chicken stock.  Beat together egg and juice from the lemon until frothy.  SLOWLY spoon warm broth into egg mixture to temper it and keep the egg from cooking too fast.  Add rice or orzo just before serving,.  Garnish with chopped thyme.

• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. Lemon Savory or Lemon Thyme, dried and crumbled
• 1/2 tsp. Parley, dried
• dash of garlic powder

Tags: lemon herbs, parsley, recipes, thyme

I left my favorite of the lemon herbs for last.  Thyme is a low growing, strongly scented and flavored herb that comes in a variety of scents.  However, the lemon varieties are among the best Thyme has to offer.  I grow more than 17 different varieties of thyme, of those about 7 are lemon scented/flavored varieties. 

Thymus X citriodorus is the varieital name used for many but not all of the lemon thymes.  They are shrub-shaped, with small pointed leaves that vary from dark green leaves to bright green to even yellow variegated leaves.  The sharp lemon scent combines with the traditional flavor of thyme making an herb that is perfect for cooking and drying into wreaths.  Flowers vary from white to pink to lavender, with the plants growing about 10 inches tall.  There are a few creeping lemon thyme varieties in the family Thymus serpyllum available as well.  All need full sun with well-drained soil but can tolerate part-shade.  Hardy in zones 5 to 9 some of the flavored thymes are less hardy and suffered drying and root rot in the winter making them act as tender perennials.  You can get two...

Tags: gardening, lemon herbs, lemon thyme

Lemon Santolina (Santolina eriociodes) is a perennial plant that is good in borders or rock gardens with a button-type flower and fresh clean scent. Regular santolina is known as lavender cotton because of its fuzzy silver/white leaves.  It grows to 12 inches in a neat compact shrub.  It looks lovely in a border and you can air-dry the flowers easily.  Santolinas are good for repelling insects, especially moths.  When mixed with equal portions of lavender and southernwood it makes a great moth repellant blend.  They are slow growers and should be purchased as plants. They can winter over in Zone 4 & 5 if properly protected with sand and mulch over the base before the ground freezes.

Lemon Savory (Satureja biflora) is a tender perennial, since it native habitat is South Africa.  it has small white or lilac flowers, and likes full sun and tolerates part shade.  The strong lemon flavor and scent are used in cooking and teas.  Savory generally has a spicy smell and a peppery taste and is a widely used herb in savory dishes.  The summer and winter savory varieties are annual and perennial respectively....

Tags: gardening, lemon herbs, savory