Dracocephalum moldavica organic seeds - Moldavian balm

Dracocephalum moldavica, or Moldavian Dragonhead, is a highly aromatic and ornamental annual plant. Easy to sow, its rapid growth allows you to enjoy its beautiful bluish flowers all summer long and into early autumn. It is nectar-rich, so also useful to bees and other garden insects. But it is mainly appreciated for its soft foliage from which aromas of lemon and lemon balm escape when crushed. These can be used to prepare drinks and herbal teas, and to add flavour to summer salads. Easy to grow in healthy, well-drained soil, damp to moderately dry, it thrives in full sun. It is an annual that cannot survive the winter, even in mild climates. The seeds offered have been obtained from organic cultivation.

Dracocephalum is part of the large Lamiaceae family (formerly Labiatae), rich in 7,500 species of wild, aromatic or culinary plants (Savory, Mint, Sage...) and ornamental ones, such as Lavenders. The little-known Dracocephalum genus nevertheless includes several dozen species, including D. moldavica, which bears various common names, such as Moldavian Dragonhead, Garden Tea or Moldavian Dracocephalum. This species is native to a wide area stretching from Moldavia to Siberia, via Turkmenistan and China. It grows quickly to form an upright, well-branched clump, most often 40-50cm in height (but up to 80cm in its natural habitat) and 25-30cm wide. The plant produces quadrangular shoots, typical of Lamiaceae, smooth to slightly hairy. They bear ovate to lanceolate leaves, with a toothed margin, measuring 4 to 7cm long. Their slightly hairy surface is a bright, strong to dark green. When crushed, they release lemony fragrances, mingled with the scent of lemon balm, sometimes also anise or lemongrass. These leaves contain essential oils rich in citral, geraniol, limonene and nerol, hence the intense lemony dominance.
Flowering extends from June/July to September in the form of inflorescences in dense whorls, arranged in terminal spikes. The flowers are two-lipped (which explains the old name of Labiatae), measure 2.5 to 3cm in length, and are bright blue to subtly violet, with occasionally paler blue specimens, as sowing always expresses a certain genetic variability. Highly honey-producing due to their abundant nectar production, the flowers attract many insects, from carpenter bees to bumblebees, as well as various butterflies including hawk-moths. The fruits that follow are tetrachenes (thus four small achenes) containing very fine, almost black seeds. Their seed viability is high when fresh, and self-seeding is possible but moderate. This is why manual sowing is a good idea, particularly with organic seeds, so this plant can be harvested as much as you like.

Dracocephalum moldavica is as ornamental as it is utilitarian, both for biodiversity in the garden and for its antioxidant and digestive qualities. It can be used to make herbal teas, liqueurs and refreshing drinks, and the leaves also go very well in salads. In the garden, it can be grown in a sunny border or even in a pot alongside other culinary plants such as Purple Basil, to create a strong colour contrast. You can also pair it with the famous Moroccan Mint, or even with Annual Sages to enjoy superb varied flowering.