Red bee balm plant how to#
Red bee balm plant full#

Common name of wild bergamot is in reference to the purported similarity of the aroma of plant flowers to the bergamot orange. Plant Details: Other Common Names: Oswego Tea, Red Bergamot. The toothed, aromatic leaves (3-5” long) are still used today for teas and in salads. Use it in your perennial border, butterfly garden, meadow, and in naturalized areas of your yard. All of our Monarda are mildew resistant varieties. Monarda is a strong grower in the North, but can be overpowering in Southern gardens. Common name of Oswego tea is in reference to a former use of plants leaves for tea by the Oswego Indians of New York State. Bee Balm is absolutely irresistible to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds Uniquely shaped flowers perch on erect stems in scarlet red, pink and purple shades, and leaves can be used to make a delightful herbal tea.

Red bee balm plant full#

Space monarda plants 18 to 24 inches apart in organically rich soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.7 that drains easily. Latin Name: Monarda didyma Light Requirements: Full Sun - Part Shade Plant Height: 24 Bloom Colour: Red Price. Bee balm tolerates partial sun, but you'll get fewer flowers. Plant monarda in spring or fall in a spot that gets full sun. Common name of bee balm is in reference to a former use of plant resins to soothe bee stings. Growing bee balm plants isn't hard, if you keep their soil evenly moist. Specific epithet from Latin means in pairs in reference to the plant stamens being in pairs. Genus name honors Nicholas Monardes (1493-1588), physician and botanist of Seville. Attractive to bees, hummingbirds and butterflies, particularly when massed. Plant foliage declines after bloom, particularly if infected with mildew. Long summer bloom extends for about 8 weeks from early/mid-summer to late summer. Sixteen species of this tough perennial are native to North America, but most of us grow red Monarda didyma (commonly called bee balm) or lavender to. Make sure to select the right location to give your plants a good start. Bee balm is a perennial, so it will be in the spot you plant it in for years to come.

Red bee balm plant how to#

Each flowerhead is subtended by a whorl of showy, red-tinged, leafy bracts. Raspberry Wine (Deep red flowers) How to Plant Bee Balm. Leaves emit a minty fragrance when bruised or crushed.

Flowerheads bloom atop 2-4’ tall square stems clad with opposite, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, medium to deep green leaves (3-6” long) with serrate margins. It is a somewhat coarse, clump-forming, mint family member that features tubular, two-lipped, bright scarlet-red flowers crowded into dense, globular, terminal flowerheads (to 3-4” across) somewhat resembling unkempt mop-heads. Monarda didyma, known by a number of different common names including bee balm, Oswego tea and bergamot, is native to eastern North America where it typically occurs in bottomlands, thickets, moist woods and along streambanks from Maine to Minnesota south to Missouri and Georgia.