Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citratus)
Cymbopogon citratus

Annual (usually grown as an annual near you) Clumping, Upright in the Poaceae Family
The classic culinary lemongrass — a fast-growing, citrus-scented clumping grass grown for its lemony stalks, popular in Southeast Asian cooking and easy to overwinter indoors.

Cymbopogon citratus, commonly called lemongrass or West Indian lemongrass, is a clumping, tufted perennial grass in the Poaceae (grass) family, grown worldwide for its lemon-scented foliage and stalks. It's a true tropical perennial, reliably winter-hardy only to about USDA zone 8b-9 at the mildest, but in cold-winter climates like Chicago it's grown as a warm-season annual or overwintered indoors as a container plant.

The plant forms dense clumps of long, narrow, blue-green blades rising from thickened, bulb-like stalk bases. Those lower stalk sections, not the tough upper leaf blades, are what's harvested and used in cooking — crushed or minced to release their bright citrus flavor and aroma. In cultivation outside the tropics it essentially never flowers, so its appeal is entirely about foliage and fragrance rather than bloom.

Pros

  • Strong, true lemon fragrance and flavor from the foliage and stalks, useful fresh or dried
  • Fast, vigorous grower once the weather warms, forming a full clump by late summer
  • Virtually pest- and disease-free outdoors in the Midwest
  • Easy to overwinter indoors as a houseplant by potting up a division before frost

Cons

  • Not reliably winter-hardy outdoors in Chicago; must be treated as an annual or brought inside
  • Toxic to dogs, cats, and horses if chewed or eaten in quantity
  • Tough, fibrous leaf blades can have sharp edges that irritate skin when handled
  • Rarely flowers in cultivation, so it offers no ornamental bloom
Highlights
  • The classic lemongrass used in Southeast Asian cooking
  • Grown for its citrus-scented stalks and foliage, not flowers
  • Can be potted up and overwintered indoors year after year
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 24 - 48 inches tall. 24 - 36 inches wide.
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium - Wet: Needs consistent moisture through the growing season and doesn't tolerate drought well — expect lower leaves to brown and die back if the soil is allowed to dry out for extended periods. Reduce watering substantially while overwintering indoors.
Zones 8b - 11b (Usually hardy to 15° F)
Tags Annual, Annual in Chicago, Edible Foliage, Evergreen, Full Sun, Grasses, Herb, Medium, Tender Perennial, Wet
Bloom Period Rarely Flowers
Flower Color Rarely Flowers; Inconspicuous
Foliage Color
 

More Info from Experts
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 02/05 - 05/10
2024 : 02/08 - 06/15
2023 : 04/13 - 05/21


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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


Estimated Recipe Cost

The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!