When to Plant Lemon Verbena in Cairns, Tropical Guide
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Lemon Verbena guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Apr to Sep
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 80 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.6–7.3
Lemon verbena is a shrub with strongly lemon scented leaves, used for tea, desserts and savoury dishes. It likes full sun and free draining soil.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr T
- May T
- Jun T
- Jul T
- Aug T
- Sep T
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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How to Grow Lemon Verbena in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Reasonably free draining soil, not fussy about pH (Seed Collection). Daleys gives a neutral pH of 6.6 to 7.3 and says it copes with poor sandy soil.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.6-7.3
- Sunlight
- Full sun or partial shade (Seed Collection). Daleys rates it for 80 to 100 percent sun.
- Spacing
- 80cm apart
- Watering
- Moderate water (Daleys). Keep the soil from waterlogging in winter (Seed Collection).
Tropical Growing Tips for Lemon Verbena
Recommended Varieties
- Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora)
Key Challenges
- Humidity
- Wet season rot
Pro Tips
- Pot with sharp drainage
- Dry season planting
Pests and problems for Lemon Verbena in Tropical
Harvesting Lemon Verbena
When ready: Leaves are most scented when the plant is in flower (Seed Collection).
How to harvest: Remove up to a quarter of each stem by cutting just above a leaf node (Seed Collection).
Storing and preserving lemon verbena
How to keep it
- Drying. Dry leaves in a warm, airy place away from direct sun, then store whole in a jar. No Australian source read, so treat as general practice.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Lemon Verbena
When do you plant lemon verbena in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Sep
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Sep to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Oct to Nov
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Apr, Sep to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
Can you grow lemon verbena all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Apr to Sep. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Lemon Verbena in Cairns?
The Seed Collection says plant from spring through autumn, and Daleys says it likes full sun and moderate water. No source covers the humid tropics, so keep it in a free draining pot or on a mound and plant in the dry season.
How do I know when Lemon Verbena are ready to harvest?
Leaves are most scented when the plant is in flower (Seed Collection).
What are the best Lemon Verbena varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora).
Are lemon verbena salt tolerant?
Only a little. Lemon verbena are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.