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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Bee Balm Flowers
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I just bought a gallon size of bee balm. Is it best to just put the clump of it right into the ground or should I take it apart and plant individual plants. It is only abour 3 inches high so far.
Hi Linda, you could plant it either way. However, I would personally recommend breaking it into a few smaller chunks so that the plants do not crowd each other as they grow.
This looks nothing like what I have known as bee balm in Texas all my life. Bee Balm to me is a wildflower which is purple and shaped differently for what is picture. It is either an annual or dies down and come back the next year...not sure which. I would like to know if there is any relationship between what you show and what I'm familiar with. I would appreciate a response.
The wild bee balm (M fistulosa) is a favorite flower for the federally endangered rusty-patched bumble bee.
bee balm gets mildew no matter what you do. I have a few plants that get tall and they are very pretty but oh the mildew.
I am planting Bee Baum because I was told that Deer do not like the smell and will stay away from my garden. Am I correct?
I live on the edge of the forest and the deer have never bothered my bee balm! It's a keeper.
Elizabeth-
Generally, deer will steer clear of Bee Balm, due to its intense minty scent. However… hungry deer have been known to eat almost anything!
I cut back my bee balm last fall and it not growing. Its already June and it has not grown at all
After doing a ton of research and experimentation, I believe I have a good handle on bee balm.
Someone asked about red bee balm, why it's purple and not red. Red is Monarda Didymus, a cultivar aka Scarlet Bee Balm. They're in the mint family, so they're very forgiving. I restrict mine to large pots as they're aggressively invasive. I'm putting a few in the ground this fall enclosed by pots with the bottoms cut out.
I always water from the bottom to avoid powdery mildew.
My bee balms are always busy with hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. I keep a few next to my tomatoes, with other squirrel repellent plants, I haven't lost a tomatoe this year.
I grow mine from seed, I have 20 I'm about to plant. I have a shade garden and a sun garden, all focused on hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees - pollinators. My wife thinks I'm crazy, but she is always watching our bee balms with delight!