PerennialsDiscover the right perennial plants for your garden.
‘ Pardon My Cerise ’ bee balm ( Monarda didyma ) . Photo by Proven Winners .
horticulture for nature has become increasingly popular in recent years . One of the best plants for draw in and supporting wildlife isbee balm , which flower throughout the summer . Also known as horsemint , Oswego tea , and bergamot , the flower nectar provides sustenance for pollinating insects such as bee , butterfly , moths ; as well as hummingbirds , while the seed forefront are a food germ for songbird during fall and winter .
Garden uses for this older - fashioned favorite are varied : in a mixed boundary line , cutting garden , along pathways and in containers . Newer variety show have been bred for disease - opposition and smaller height more worthy to urban curtilage .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care|Choosing the proper Bee Balm|Pictures|Landscaping Tips
THE BASICS
Zones:
3 - 9
Height/Spread:
variety from 10 inches to 4 feet grandiloquent , and 8 inches to 3 pes extensive .
Exposure:
Full sunshine to fond shadowiness . flora bloom best and are less susceptible to disease when institute in full sunlight .
Bloom time:
previous spring to fall
Color and characteristics:
salvia - similar flowers that are reminiscent of pyrotechnic produce arching tubular petal in terminal whorls , often with colored bracts . Blooms hap on long square stems — sometimes layer on top of each other — in shades of ruby , pinkish , lilac-colored , blanched , or purple . Aromatic ellipse to lance - shaped leaves are greenish or blue - green .
Toxicity:
Bee unguent is not harmful to children or pet . The scented flowers and foliage have a wide orbit of medicative and herbal tone and can be used for tea leaf , potpourri , garnishes , and hitch . The low leaves act as a lifelike mosquito repellant . See more good plants:20 Common Plants Safe for Cats & Dogs .
Background:
A member of the mint sept , bee balm is aboriginal to woodland and prairie regions of North America , comprising 15 mintage of annual and clump - forming rhizomatous perennial . Bee balm was historically used by indigenous folk and early settler for medicinal and culinary purposes . The pungent farewell are reminiscent of sage and can be brew for tea leaf or tally to salads and other dishes , while bloom serve as a colorful garnish .
PLANTING TIPS
‘ Pardon My Purple ’ bee balm ( Monarda didyma ) . Photo by Proven Winners .
When to plant:
Sow seed in springtime , and plant transplants during cooler months of spring or pin .
Where to plant:
In a cheery site with fertile , well - draining soil that will stay evenly moist .
How to plant:
Loosen grunge and amend with compost . Remove flora from container and softly tantalise out roots if potbound . Dig a gob slightly larger than the etymon globe and place so the top of the summit is level with the stain surface . Fill in the hole , gently tamp down down soil around the pedestal and water well . place 1 - 1/2 to 2 feet aside , look on the diversity , to ensure good tune circulation .
For seeds , sow directly alfresco after all peril of frost is preceding . Cover with 1/4 inch of fine filth and keep moist until seedling emerge , 22 to 30 days . slight to 18 inch apart when seedlings are two in marvellous .
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Pruning, deadheading, and maintenance:
To make a bushier plant , purloin stem tips as new development emerges in early spring . Remove spend flowers to encourage rebloom . repeated bee balms are vigorous growers , so regular division every 2 to 3 days is necessary to keep them in tab . After the first voiceless frost , clean up folio debris to help prevent disease in the next uprise season . Leave dormant plants so that birds can scrounge the seed heads during gloam and winter . Cut back bushed flower stalks in belated winter or former outflow to a few inches above the ground .
Soil:
Bee unction is tolerant of different soils , but prefers humus - fat soil that drain well . dirt pH should be electroneutral or slimly acidic .
Amendments & fertilizer:
study anall - purpose fertilizerinto the dirt around the al-Qaida of plants in leaping concord to package educational activity . Mulch with organic matter such as shredded leaves to suppress weeds and keep back moisture .
Watering:
Bee balm can endure some drought , but prefer moist soil . pee on a regular basis once or twice a week during hot magic spell . Avoid overhead tearing to reduce mildew and fungous disease .
Diseases and pests:
When constitute in ideal experimental condition , bee balm is comparatively happy-go-lucky . The self-aggrandizing problem ispowdery mildewthat develop on blossom buds and foliage . The gray powdery motion picture is not fatal , but can accent industrial plant and stimulate folio cliff . Too much shade , lack of air circulation , or in high spirits humidness can increase mildew and other fungous disease such as rust fungus and leaf stain . To battle mould , removed unnatural leaves and dispose in the drivel rather than compost lot to prevent spread of disease . Apply an organic remedy according to instructions . Poor soil drain can lead in etymon rot . louse job let in stem borers , wanderer mite , whiteflies , slugs , andthrips .
Deer resistance:
Because of bee balm ’s pungent fragrance , deer will usually will it alone , though extreme conditions can result in deer shaving on plants they would n’t otherwise .
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT BEE BALM
“ Pollinator House ” combining formula . Photo by Proven Winners .
With different types and sizes to prefer from , here are some lead to look at :
For beds and borders:
Larger varieties can be planted midway in a mixed margin in compounding with other perennial , bush , and trees . small form can be sited toward the front of a bed or edge .
For cutting gardens:
Plant in a raise bed in combination with other summer - blooming cut flowers .
For edible gardens:
Place near a kitchen garden to pull in louse pollinator for increased food for thought production .
For containers:
Plant smaller smorgasbord in containers by themselves , or in combining with other humble - sustainment plants with similar needs . See moreperfect pollinator combinationslike “ Pollinator House ” ( visualize ) that include bee balm .
For wildlife garden:
Naturalize varieties that are aboriginal to your region in a hayfield or consecrated orbit along with other natives that will brook local wildlife .
BEE BALM PICTURES
exposure by : Proven succeeder
‘ Pardon My Cerise’—Buy now from Proven WinnersMonarda didyma
4 - 8
Dwarf clumping riding habit , 14 - 18 inch grandiloquent and 10 - 12 inches encompassing
Full sun to partial shade
Bloom Time:
Mid - late summertime
Color:
Deep red flowers , medium green foliage
The cherry cerise blossom on this mold - resistant variety are a magnet for hummingbirds . The petite stature make this a right choice for low gardens . flora in the front of a motley border , along a pathway , mass as a bedding industrial plant , or in container .
‘ Leading Lady Plum’—Buy now from Proven WinnersMonardahybrid
lump - forming riding habit , 10 - 14 inches marvellous and 22 - 28 inches wide
Late spring to mid - summer
Flowers are magenta imperial with coloured maculation on the outer petal , dark green leafage
Magenta purplish flower flower copiously atop densely branched , semi - showy leafage . This other bloomer spreads readily , making it a good alternative as a ground cover , in mass plantings , as edging along nerve tract , or in front of a border .
exposure by : guentermanaus / Shutterstock.com
Wild BergamotMonarda fistulosa
Upright distribute wont , 2 - 4 foot tall and 2 ft all-inclusive
Mid - summer to other fall
Pale lavender - pinkish flowers , light-green foliage
This native wildflower is typically found growing in prairies , open meadow and along roadsides . Grown from seed or plants , this tough metal money is estrus and drought - tolerant , as well as mildew - resistive . plant life in a perimeter , wild flower meadow or cut blossom garden . The flowers atop imposing stem are especially long - last in nosegay .
Photo by : Mimka / Shutterstock.com
Lemon Mint ( syn . lemon bee balm , maize horsemint , stinker bergamot , purple horsemint).Monarda citriodora
2 - 11
Upright habit , 2 - 1/2 feet grandiloquent and 8 - 12 inch wide
Mid - give to mid - summertime ; will bloom into fall with regular H2O .
Flowers vary from short pink , pallid lavender or snowy ; dark-green foliage
This annual or biyearly wild flower has lemon - scented leaf that can be used in tea , salads , and to flavor meat and seafood . Long stems support vertical column of cannular flowers above lance - determine leaves . Sow outdoors in fountain or fall ; seeds will resow in successive years . tame in a wild flower meadow , verbatim sow in a delimitation to fill in gap , or plant in an herb garden .
exposure by : Arvind Balaraman / Shutterstock.com
Spotted Bee Balm ( syn . dust bee balm , dotted horsemint)Monarda punctata
3 - 8
Upright habit , 1 - 3 foot tall and 8 - 12 inches broad
ahead of time to mid - summertime
Flowers are pale yellow with tiny over-embellished spots , pink bract , dark greenish leafage
aboriginal to the eastern US and Canada , this short - survive repeated or biyearly naturalizes in wry , sandy soils . The showy blossom and bracts occur in stacked tiers on slim stems . The leave of absence , which smell like oregano or thyme , were historically used to address maladies such as belly upset and cold . Grow in a wildlife garden , cottage border , cut flower garden , or waterwise landscape .
pic by : ALong / Shutterstock.com
Bradbury ’s bee balm ( syn . eastern bee balm , livid bergamot , eastern horsemint)Monarda bradburiana
5 - 8
upright piano spreading wont , 1 - 2 feet tall and wide
blossom are pallid pink with purple fleck , green leafage
Native to central and southeastern US , this early boo-boo prefers teetotal ground , is mildew - resistant and less aggressive than other rhizomatous repeated forms . The foliage presume a reddish tone in fall . Use in a slice flower garden , wildlife garden or meadow .
Photo by : R Ann Kautzky / Alamy Stock Photo
‘ Jacob Cline’Monarda didyma
4 - 9
Upright habit , 3 - 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide
Mid to previous summertime
cherry-red red flowers , average green foliage
One of the best reds , the courtly conformation of this mold - resistant perennial makes a good choice for cut flower gardens , or in a mixed border in combination with other summertime bloomers . Exceptionally long stem and large , flamboyant bloom are stunning in posy . The vibrant blood-red prime gloss is peculiarly attractive to hummingbird .
Photo by : Sylvain Marineau / Millette Photomedia
‘ Raspberry Wine’Monarda didyma
vertical distribute wont , 3 - 4 animal foot marvellous and 2 - 3 feet wide
Magenta - cerise flowers with dark burgundy bract , green foliage
This mildew - resistant perennial has bright raspberry colored flowers that counterpoint with the thick burgundy bracts for a dazzling upshot . Plant halfway in a mixed border or in a cutting garden . The showy flower on long stem are a standout in summer bouquets .
pic by : Rock Giguere / Millette Photomedia
‘ Snow White’Monarda didyma
Upright disperse habit , 2 - 3 feet tall and 2 foundation encompassing
white-hot flower , greenish foliation
This vigorous perennial has pure blanched blooms that make an elegant addition to any elan landscape . industrial plant in a motley border , cut garden or moonlight garden . The long - staunch petite flowers are exceptionally long - lasting in a vase , and the leaves can be used to make mint Camellia sinensis or motley . Because this variety is susceptible to mildew , it will execute best in optimum develop conditions .
Photo by : Walters Gardens
Sugar Buzz ® ‘ aristocratic Moon’Monarda didyma
Upright spread out habit , 16 - 24 inches tall and 18 - 22 inch wide
Lavender depressed bloom , green foliage
The unusual lavender blue flower colouring material makes this a welcome addition to a cool - hued border . Mildew - tolerant and not as belligerent as other perennial forms , this is a good choice for a assorted border , mass in a bedding showing , or in containers .
Bee balm alternatives:
In area with hot , humid summertime such as the Southeastern U.S. where mildew is problematic , substitute with other long - bloom summer flowers such aspenstemonorsalvia .
LANDSCAPING TIPS
There are many ways to incorporate bee balm into your landscape painting . Here ’s how :
