Bee Balm
Monarda
Also called bergamot and wild bergamot
Bee Balm blooms from July through August.
Everything this page states about the plant was checked against named botanical sources, the bloom months and the water need among them, with what the sources could not settle written down.
Growing Bee Balm
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Bee Balm
Plant Bee Balm in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from July to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Comes in 11 varieties across 4 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Bee Balm
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
Its minty scent and its herbal-tea history come from the same aromatic oils, thymol and carvacrol. Scarlet bee balm is the original 'Oswego tea' plant. per NC State
Watering splits by species
Scarlet bee balm wants steady moisture; wild bergamot prefers lean, dry ground. Identify yours first and water to match, but never bake either one bone-dry. per NC State
Is wild bergamot mildew-proof?
It resists mildew on dry, airy sites, but a four-year trial rated the straight species among the most susceptible in a moist bed. Pick a proven cultivar. per Chicago Botanic Garden
Resistant cultivars matter most
In a four-year no-fungicide trial, 'Marshall's Delight' stayed under 5 percent mildew; 'Colrain Red' and 'Raspberry Wine' also held up. Clemson adds 'Jacob Cline'. per Chicago Botanic Garden
Spreads; divide every few years
It creeps outward by rhizomes and dies out in the center. Lift and divide every few years to curb the spread and renew the clump at once. per NC State
Magnet for pollinators
The nectar-rich tubular flowers draw bumblebees and other long-tongued bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and moths; wild bergamot also feeds specialist native bees. per NC State
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits leave it alone: the aromatic, oily foliage is unpalatable to browsers. per NC State
What pairs well with Bee Balm
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Mock Orange
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 8.2 ft, for the layer behind it.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; stands well above at 20 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Eastern Redbud
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; stands well above at 23 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Aster
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; this one spreads, so it will crowd its neighbor in time.
Snow-in-Summer
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Perennial Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; this one spreads, so it will crowd its neighbor in time.
Trumpet Vine
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early fall; both are strong pollinator plants; both are native plants.
Flowering Cherry
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; a soft color beside the red.
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