Scarlet Bee Balm

Photo credit: UW-Madison Botanical Garden

Bee balms bear aromatic foliage and round heads of tightly packed tubular flowers above a circle of colored leafy bracts (modified leaves). They grow from fast-creeping runners with fibrous roots.

Monarda fistulosa, wild bergamot, has soft lavender-pink to pale-pink flowers.

Plant bee balms in evenly moist, humus-rich soil in full sun or partial shade. Plants must never be allowed to dry out. Lift and divide entire clumps every 2-3 years to keep bee balm vigorous. They are often affected with powdery mildew. Avoid mildew by thinning stems and choosing a site with good air circulation.

Landscape Ideas Combine bee balms with other summer perennials like lilies, phlox, yarrows, cranesbills (Geranium spp.) and astilbes. In moist wild garden plant bee balms with ferns.