Monarda, aka ‘Bee Balm’
Attracting hummingbirds into your garden is easy! Just plant a couple varieties of bee balm. This gorgeous plant is sure to delight the senses with jewel-toned blooms and a distinctive fragrance of bergamot. While some monarda can suffer from powdery mildew, understanding its needs and selecting the hardiest varieties will ensure the healthiest plants.
Research has found that native varieties are more attractive to pollinators and less susceptible to disease than the many cultivars on the market today. Let me introduce you to a few native species that will extend bloom time and enjoyment in your garden.
designing with bee balm:
A highly under-utilized bee balm is monarda bradburiana, a native to Missouri and southeastern states. Also known as ‘eastern bee balm’, it grows nicely to about 20” x 20” in my New Hampshire garden and is attractive from spring into fall, never once experiencing powdery mildew. Less thirsty and less aggressive than it’s taller cousins, eastern bee balm sports a loose and mounding habit which I find particularly charming at the front of the border. Since it blooms about one month earlier than the taller varieties listed below, it is an important addition for hummingbirds and is host plant to a few different species of moths.
The taller, more well-known bee balm for perennial gardens is monarda didyma or ‘scarlet bee balm’'. Popular cultivars are ‘Jacob Cline’ and ‘Raspberry Wine’ which are frequented by Ruby-throat hummingbirds for weeks in July and mix nicely in my garden with asclepias and amsonia (which helps to hide its ‘bare knees’ later in the summer). Consistent moisture is desired and periods of drought stress can make this lovely plant susceptible to powdery mildew. PM can be unsightly but typically does not harm the overall health of the plant.
Plant type: native to North America
Growing Conditions: consistently moist
Size: 20-14” tall
Spread: 1-2', can form colonies when happy
Bloom: June through August in Zone 5b
Maintenance: low-maintenance
Biodiversity: host plant for moths frequented by all pollinators & hummingbirds
Pairings: milkweed, phlox, joe pye weed
Location: bradburiana, front; didyma and fistulosa middle to back
Host plant: Hermit Sphinx Moth, Orange Mint Moth, Pink Patched Looper Moth, Bedstraw Hawkmoth, and Rustic Quaker
Sourcing: through The Big Little Garden
Monarda fistulosa also known as ‘wild bergamot’ is a lovely, soft lilac colored native, frequently found in meadow plantings as it is more heat and drought tolerant than other bee balms. Growing up to 48” tall and typically blooming in late June, it helps to anchor the back or the border and provides nice verticality in the center of the border as well.
All monarda is part of the mint family, Lamiaceae, and is native to North America. Like all mints, the stems are 4 sided, making identification easy. An advantage to plants in the mint family is that they are typically not bothered by rodents, deer or rabbits!!