Monarda punctata
My dotted bee balm (Monarda punctata) is blooming and it is wondrous! I purchased this plant for its unique flower structure. The flower heads are stacked on top of each other, reminding me of the Dr. Seuss children’s books. The flowers are pink and green and would be great for a floral arrangement indoors.
I love the Monarda genus. There are 17 species and two of the species, M. didyma and M. fistulosa, have been bred to produce many cultivars for the market.
Usually, Monarda prefers moist soil in full sun to partial shade. Most are perennials that spread by rhizomes and can be “assertive” if given optimal conditions. M. didyma is more thuggish than the others.
Monarda didyma
Of all the species, scarlet bee balm (M. didyma) is most favored by hummingbirds because of the red, tubular flowers that are arranged in a whorl within a singular inflorescence. This plant was used by Native Americans for culinary and medicinal qualities. In fact, its common name comes from the practice of rubbing the foliage on the skin to alleviate the pain of bee stings. The foliage also can be used to make tea, hence its other common name, Oswego tea. In the 18th century, John Bartram, Philadelphia’s famed botanist, collected the seed in Oswego, New York. The leaves can either flavor a black tea or used as a substitute for traditional English tea, hence its popularity after the Boston tea party. I like using the red flowers to add color to a fruit salad.
Monarda fistulosa
I also have wild bergamot (M. fistulosa) which has an inflorescence similar to M. didyma but purple. My stand is about 3 feet tall. When it bloomed in early summer it provided a nice mass of purple color that butterflies and bees favored. By summer, the petals fell off leaving a stand of seed heads all summer long to the point that it looked like a different shrub altogether. M. fistulosa is called wild bergamot because its fragrance is similar to true bergamot (Citrus aurantium var. bergamia). Again, the leaves can be used to make tea or flavor a black tea plus the flowers are edible.
I also have eastern bee balm (M. bradburiana) which blooms small flowers early in the season and the seed heads remain all summer long. The entire plant is compact, less than 2 feet tall.
This year I have been trying to grow lemon bergamot (Monarda citriodora) from seed. Unlike the others in this article, it is an annual. I have started seeds twice and got a few plants but they have not grown much; I doubt I will see flowers before frost. It is possible that the rabbits discovered them. I saw a beautiful stand at Longwood Gardens which inspired me. I have read that the scent is not really lemon but more like camphor. The leaves can be used for tea and the flowers can be used for dried floral arrangements.
Of course, there are many cultivars of M. didyma at the nurseries, including compact types. As fall approaches, you may find monarda plants on sale because garden centers need to move their inventory of perennials before winter. Add these to your garden for their multiple uses!
Monarda citriodora at Longwood Gardens
