Weed which smells of lemon?

[SarzWix]

Any ideas what this may be? It isn't lemon balm of the herb variety, but smells similar. It's very invasive, spreads by thick white-ish/cream roots fairly near the surface, has hairy stems and leaves, and gets to about knee height, Smothering it doesn't work, it just creeps along underneath and pops out where it finds light... No pics because it hasn't emerged yet.

[rustylady]

You absolutely sure it's not lemon balm Sarz? This site From the Garden: Five Lemon-Scented Herbs | The Kitchn reckons it's really invasive.

[alldigging]

Lemon verbena?
There's also a Lemon-Scented Pelargonium ... the purple stuff grows like a weed

[SarzWix]

No its definitely not lemon balm, I've got that in the back garden and it's got lighter colored foliage than lemon balm, slightly bigger and more heart-shaped leaves and thicker more white roots,

[alldigging]

Did it flower last year?

[SarzWix]

In fact, thinking about it, it looks a bit like a nettle when it's growing, but it doesn't sting.
I'll have a look through my photos and see if I've caught it in a pic of something else.

[SarzWix]

Did it flower last year?

Yes, it had purpley-red flowers in the top third of the spikes, similar shaped to salvia flowers, but more space between the flowers, if that makes sense..

[VirginVegGrower]

Verbena would be my guess.

[taff]

some kind of catmint?

[alldigging]

Yes, it had purpley-red flowers in the top third of the spikes, similar shaped to salvia flowers, but more space between the flowers, if that makes sense..

Sounds quite nice.

If the bees liked it then it sounds like a nice plant to have about

[veggiechicken]

Selfheal? Selfheal - Weed information - Organic Weed Management

[SarzWix]

This is very like it, except the flowers are purple and its most definitely a perennial, not an annual.

California hedge nettle

[veggiechicken]

Purple Dead Nettle? Purple Dead Nettle: A Weed That’s Good To Eat | First Ways

[scarey55]

Could it be ground ivy? I think that can smell lemmony.

[shepp726]

could it be a red or white dead nettle?