Bee Balm

Monarda didyma

94 plantings
5 for swap
13 wanted
36 stashed

Bee Balm is part of the Monarda genus and its scientific name is Monarda didyma.

North American native flower that is attractive to bees, butterflies², and hummingbirds.³ Leaves may be used as tea.³

This variety typically blooms in the following colours: Candy apple red. When mature, blooms are roughly 5.0 cm (that's 1.95 inches in imperial) in diameter. The leaves of this particular variety normally show as Kelly green and Medium violet-red

Bee Balm grows as a perennial and is a flower / herb. Being a perennial plant, it tends to grow best over several years (approx 3 years and greater).

Normally reaching to a mature height of 3.41 feet (1.05 metres). Expect blooming to occur in early summer.

Try planting Bee Balm if you'd like to attract butterflies, bees and birds to your garden.

United States is believed to be where Bee Balm originates from.

Bee Balm is great for inexperienced gardeners and those that like low maintainance gardens.

This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about Bee Balm have been kindly provided by our members.

How to grow Bee Balm

Full Sun
OR
Partial Sun
High

Will grow in sun or shade, but may spread faster in shade.¹

Plant in a location that enjoys full sun / partial sun and remember to water often. The USDA Zones typically associated with Bee Balm are Zone 3 and Zone 9. Keep in mind when planting that Bee Balm is thought of as very hardy, so this plant will tend to survive through freezing conditions.

See our list of companion Plants for Bee Balm to see which plants you should plant in close proximity to encourage growth.

Growing Bee Balm from seed

Plant in late winter/early summer.

Transplanting Bee Balm

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Bee Balm is a very hardy plant.

How long does Bee Balm take to grow?

These estimates for how long Bee Balm takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Start logging and journaling your observations to participate!

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Bee Balm Etymology

Genus named for Nicolas Monardes, a 16th century Spanish botanist; name Oswego Tea is from early explorer John Bartram who found settlers near Oswego, NY using leaves for a tea; name Beebalm is from its attractiveness to bees.

Other names for Bee Balm

Bergamot

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