Monarda didyma

Monarda didyma

Common name: bee balm

Family: Lamiaceae

Leaf: opposite, ovate to ovate-lanceolate medium to deep green leaves, 3-6" long with serrate margins. Minty fragrance when bruised or crushed.

Flowers: tubular, two lipped, bright scarlet-red flowers crowded into dense, globular, terminal flowerheads, 3-4" across. Subtended by a whorl of showy, red-tinged, leafy bracts. Long summer bloom extends for about 8 weeks from early/mid-summer to late summer. (June-Sept.) Foliage declines after bloom. Bees, hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the flowers.

Habit: herbaceous perennial; Form: mounding

Height: 2-4'; Spread: 2-3'

Culture: Hardy to USDA zones 4-9. Best grown in rich, medium to wet, moisture-retentive soils in full sun to part shade. Prefers rich, humusy soils in full sun, although can benefit from afternoon shade in hot summer climates. Even a bit of shade can help combat powdery mildew. Soil should not be allowed to dry out. Deadhead flowers to prolong summer bloom. Divide clumps every 3-4 years to prevent overcrowding and to control spread of the plant. Provide plants with good air circulation to help combat fungal leaf diseases, such as powdery mildew. Deadhead flowers immediately after bloom to prevent self- seeding. Spreads by rhizomes and self -seeding to form colonies.

Uses: Attracts butterflies, colour in a perennial border, cottage garden, wild garden, native plant garden, herb garden, naturalized planting, ponds or streams.

Origin: Canada, U.S.A.

M. didyma 'Lace Sugar'