Growing Bee Balm, a Pollinator Favorite

Bring in the birds, bees and butterflies throughout the summer with bee balm. This long blooming low maintenance perennial combines nicely with ornamental grasses and other perennials.

Both the native and cultivated bee balms are pollinator favorites. The showy pink, red, lavender or purple flowers are great in the garden or added to a summer bouquet. Include them in your herb, meadow, perennial or natural garden. Place them in a location where you can easily view the flowers and pollinators they attract.

Grow bee balm in full sun to light shade in moist well-drained soil. Give the plants plenty of room. In early spring remove any unwanted seedlings. Move some to another spot in the landscape or add them to the compost pile. The fragrant foliage provides a bit of aromatherapy as you cleanup and prepare the garden for spring.

Further reduce maintenance by selecting powdery mildew resistant varieties.

A bit more information:  Extend your enjoyment with a bit of deadheading. Remove the flowers as they fade to encourage more blooms. You, the birds, bees and butterflies will enjoy a longer season of beauty.

Tags

flowers-ornamental-grasses butterflies fragrant bees powdery-mildew hummingbirds bee-balm

Related

Audio

Midsummer Perennial Garden Care

Audio

Compact Bee Balm (Monarda) – Leading Lady

Audio

Attract Beneficial Insects with Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata)

Audio

Managing Powdery Mildew on Bee Balm

Audio

Culver’s Root Veronicastrum virginicum

Audio

Help Hummingbirds on their Long Migration

Video

Grow Your Own Herbs for Tea

Audio

Monardas for the Garden

Audio

Celebrate 2021 Year of the Monarda

Audio

Growing Helianthus angustifolia Swamp Sunflower

• <
• 1 (current)
• 2
• 3
• >