Lemon Basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Lemon’) is a fragrant culinary herb prized for its refreshing blend of sweet basil flavour and bright citrus aroma. Its vibrant green leaves contain natural lemon-scented oils that add a fresh, zesty flavour to a wide variety of dishes, making it a favourite for summer cooking and herb gardens. Lemon Basil is delicious in seafood dishes, chicken, salads, pasta, vinaigrettes, herbal teas, desserts, fruit salads, and homemade lemonade, while also adding a unique twist to pesto and cocktails. This vigorous annual herb forms a bushy, well-branched plant with abundant foliage that can be harvested continuously throughout the growing season. During summer, small white flower spikes emerge, attracting bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators. Pinching flower buds encourages continued leaf production and maintains the plant's best culinary quality. Lemon Basil thrives in warm, sunny conditions with fertile, well-drained soil. It performs exceptionally well in herb gardens, raised beds, decorative containers, patio planters, and kitchen gardens, making it easy to harvest fresh herbs just steps from the kitchen. In Alberta, Lemon Basil grows vigorously throughout the summer and provides continuous harvests until the first autumn frost.
