![]() ![]() ![]() Butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects are also attracted to the flowers. Bee balm flowers are a hummingbird magnet. You should deadhead your plants to keep them blooming. You should also cut your plants to the ground after a frost has killed them and remove the dead plants from your garden to prevent insets from overwintering in them as well as prevent disease.īee balm blooms from mid- to late summer. If your plants do develop mildew, cut the affected plants down to the ground and discard them so that they don’t infect other plants. Thinning them out will promote air circulation which is a good powdery mildew prevention strategy. Crowded plants will result in mildew infections. This is especially important because bee balm is susceptible to powdery mildew. It’s a good idea to dig up and divide your plants every 2 to 3 years in the spring. Bee balm spreads via underground rhizomes. In partial shade, the plants will not produce as many flowers. Like most herbs, bee balm grows best in well-drained soil.īee balm prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade. pectinata, both of which have light lavender flowers and are commonly called “lemon mint”. fistulosa (also called wild bergamot) which has lavender to pink flowers, M. Monarda didyma with the familiar red flowers, M. It is a source of thymol, an antiseptic, which has a minty oregano flavor.īee balm is an herbaceous perennial hardy in zones 4 – 9. Today, bee balm is used in herbal teas and also in mouthwash. They drank it in place of imported tea when imported tea was scarce or too expensive. The settlers called it Oswego Tea, Oswego being the name of a local tribe. It has been used as a medicinal plant, as a flavoring and, most famously, as an herbal tea. It has a long history of use by the Native Americans who then shared their knowledge with the European settlers. Who doesn’t love the wonderful scent of bee balm? Bee balm ( Monarda spp), also called bergamot or horsemint, is native to the Northeastern US. ![]()
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