Kenneth's Picks: Monarda Bee Balm

Our garden center manager Kenneth chose to highlight this pollinator magnet, Monarda. Also known as bee balm as its medicinal properities can be used in wellness salves, this fragrant flower blooms in the spring and throughout the summer.

Light	Full Sun
Watering	Water throughly at time of planting, then keep moist
Growing	It grows best in a moist, rich loamy soil with high organic matter content but can tolerate almost any well-drained Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart.
Features	Attracts songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies, bees
Flower Color	Pink, Purple, Red, White
Bloom Time	Late Spring, Summer
Companion Plants	Yellow coneflower, prairie dock, stiff goldenrod, whorled milkweed, yarrow, flowering spurge, big bluestem, Culver's root and turkscap lily.
Care	Deadhead faded blooms to encourage the plant to re-bloom in late summer.

Bee balm is winter hardy in USDA Zones 3-9 but prefers a dry atmosphere with good air circulation. While this plant is a perennial and will come back year after year with proper care, we recommend to wait until after your last frost date to plant.

Some examples of what we commonly have in stock:

• Jacob Cline (Red)

• Raspberry Wine (Magenta)