Bee Balm, Monarda

Monarda, or  Bee balm for the garden

Bee balm or Monarda is a native American wildflower that makes a great garden plant.  It’s pretty, long blooming, attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, provides seeds for birds, smells good, has herbal uses and is extremely easy to grow.  It will grow in sun or partial shade, in many types of soil and in zones 4-8.  The only drawbacks to Monarda are that it spreads very quickly both by runners and seeds and can sometimes take over the perennial bed.  It is also subject to powdery mildew which can leave plants looking ragged.

Monarda has about 20 native species but the most common are Monarda didyma, which has scarlet flowers, M. fistulosa which has pinkish flowers, and M. citriodora and M. pectinate which have pale lavender flowers.  The species are known to hybridize in the wild and many cultivated varieties have been created by crossing species.  Other common names of Monarda include Bergamot, horsemint, and Oswego tea.

Monarda is in the mint family and has squared, lightly grooved stems and a minty smell when crushed.  It is said to smell like Bergamot, a citrus family plant that is used for perfume.  The stems and leaves may have fine hairs or be smooth depending on species.   Leaves are long ovals (lance shaped) arranged opposite on the stems with a pointed tip and serrated edges.  The young leaves and leaves close to flowers often have a purplish tinge.  Monarda dies to the ground in winter but begins growing very early in spring, often as soon as the snow as melted and may even begin to grow in brief thaws.  Plants grow about 3 feet high in good conditions.  Monarda plants have underground stems called stolons that spread along and just under the ground to form a thick mat. 

Native Monarda flowers are pretty enough but many colors of flowers have been developed in cultivation in various shades of red, pink and purple.  Monarda flowers appear in early summer at the top of stems and bloom continues throughout summer. The flowers are a bit hard to describe but here goes.  There are several layers of sepals, usually colored similar to the flower, then a rounded cluster of buds which begin opening at the top like a wild hairdo.  Flowers are tube shaped, splitting near the top to form one long petal that may have a hook shaped appendage, or sometimes a fork, and one shorter petal.  The plants 2 stamens (male sexual organs) extend past the petals at maturity.

Double flowered varieties of Monarda have been developed but these are not as well liked by bees and hummingbirds.  Some cultivated varieties have a more flattened shape to the flowers, instead of the flowers opening in a cluster at the top they open to the sides.  Monarda flowers must have very tasty and abundant nectar as they are greatly loved by hummingbirds, bees and some butterflies.  When the flowers are pollinated they produce tiny black seeds which small birds such as goldfinches and chickadees really like.

Cultivars of Monarda

'Cambridge Scarlet' with bright scarlet flowers and 'Croftway Pink' with pink flowers are two old but good varieties. 'Snow White' is a harder to find variety with white flowers. (It’s not as attractive to hummingbirds and bees.)

'Marshall's Delight', (Pink) ‘Jacob Cline’, (red), 'Sunset',(red-purple) and 'Violet Queen'( violet) are mildew resistant varieties.  Dwarf varieties include ‘Petite Delight’ (pink), ‘Fireball’ (red), and ‘Pardon My Purple’ (purple).

Growing Monarda

Monarda is generally bought as a plant.  A gardener you know may be happy to share some with you as the plants spread rapidly.  Seeds can be started also, but seeds collected from hybrid plants will probably not look the same as the parents.  You can easily start Monarda from cuttings of the stolons in the spring too.  Monarda looks best when several plants are grouped together, but don’t worry if you can only find or afford one.  It will quickly multiply for you.  There are now Monarda varieties in dwarf form that can be grown in containers.

Monarda prefers full sun and flowers best there, with less problems with powdery mildew.  But it will grow in partial shade and even produce some blooms.  Monarda will grow in any type of soil as long as that soil is reasonably moist during the growing season.  Monarda likes ample water.  It rarely needs fertilization and fertilization tends to produce floppy plants.

Deadheading Monarda will help keep plants blooming through summer.  Leave some flowers late in the season to produce seeds for birds.  The dried seed heads can also be used in flower arrangements.  To make plants stockier you can cut the plants in half in late spring.  This will delay flowering but the plants will be shorter when they flower.  Every 3-4 years the Monarda clumps should be dug up in the early spring and separated or you will tend to get dead areas in the center of the clump or toward the back of the area they are growing in.  You can trim Monarda back to the ground after the first hard frost or wait until spring to trim dead stalks back.

The worst problem Monarda seems to have is with powdery mildew, which can pop up in warm weather.  Powdery mildew doesn’t generally kill plants but it can make them quit flowering and look very straggly.  It begins with a powdery white look on the lower leaves, which quickly dry up and fall off and this continues up the stem until you have bare stems with a clump of struggling foliage at the top.  If you have problems with powdery mildew there are flower fungicides that can be applied, usually they work best as a preventative and not a cure.  Management can also be used to increase airflow through clumps of the plant.  Trim half of the stems back randomly to about 10 inches throughout the clump.  As those regrow and begin to bloom, trim the other half of the stems you left back.

Medicinal and culinary uses of Monarda

As a member of the mint family the flowers and foliage of Monarda are edible.  The taste is a sharp combination of peppermint and oregano in my opinion.  I don’t find it appealing for salads but you might.  The flowers could be a colorful touch to salad or a plate garnish.  Native Americans used sprigs of the plant to flavor duck and game birds when roasting them.  I have seen recipes where it was used to flavor bread.  Monarda essential oil is used for aromatherapy and in potpourri.

Monarda is used for teas, hence the name Oswego tea.  Dried or fresh leaves, and flowers can be used for tea.  It can be sweetened and used as a “pleasure tea” and is said to relieve indigestion and gas pains.  Beware it’s also a diuretic.  Monarda has a high concentration of thymol, which is a good antiseptic.  Cooled tea can be used as a mouthwash for sores in the mouth and sore throats.  It can also be used to wash wounds or as a poultice on skin infections.

Leaves that are removed from the stems and dried for a few days in a warm dark place make the best teas.  Crumble and store in tightly sealed glass or food grade plastic containers.  To make a tea pour boiling water over a couple teaspoons of dried, crumbled leaves in a cup, let seep for 5 minutes and strain leaves off, keeping the fluid.

Here’s a good drink recipe.  Make a cup or 2 of Monarda tea as described above.  Crush a cup of raspberries and strain off the fluid, add the fluid to the strained Monarda tea.  Now add a cup of pineapple juice, sweetened or unsweetened, your choice.   Add ice.  It will make one or two servings.

As usual go easy the first time you consume any Monarda products to test for allergies.  Pregnant women should consult with a doctor before using.  Monarda products placed on skin and exposed to sunlight can increase the risk of sunburn.