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Flowering bee balm (Monarda) in the garden
Bee balm is a native North American clump-forming perennial that blooms in summer and lights up the garden with colorful, nectar-rich flowers and fragrant foliage. This easy-to-care-for plant is beloved by hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and hummingbird moths—making it a standout choice for pollinator and native plant gardens.
Learn how to plant, grow, and care for bee balm, including tips for preventing powdery mildew and choosing native varieties such as wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) known for its lavender-pink tubular flowers, and scarlet bee balm (Monarda didyma) known for its red blossoms.
Flowers appear in 2- to 3-inch-wide heads from June through July, with colors ranging from white and pink to red, lavender, and purple. The flowers’ tubular shape makes them especially attractive to long-tongued pollinators, including hummingbirds and native bees. Find more flowers that are great for bees,
Pollinator Value
In the garden, bee balm is visited most often by hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and hummingbird moths, all of which can reach the nectar deep inside the tubular flowers. See more flowers to attract butterflies and hummingbirds!
Bumblebees and a few other insects are too big to get into some of the smaller tubular flowers of some bee balms, so the insects practice something called “nectar robbing.” The insects bite small holes at the base of the flowers to reach nectar without pollinating the plant. While fascinating to observe, this behavior does not significantly harm the plant.
After flowering, seed heads attract birds in fall and winter, extending bee balm’s value beyond the growing season. See 12 plants with seed heads for the birds.
Garden Design Use
Growing 2 to 4 feet tall, bee balm works well as a background or mid-border plant in flower beds and native plantings. Its bold flowers pair beautifully with coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, phlox, and ornamental grasses.
Bee balm is especially effective in:
- Pollinator gardens
- Native wildflower gardens
- Cottage-style plantings
Check out this video to learn more about the benefits of growing bee balm:
Types
- Monarda didyma (scarlet bee balm): bright red flowers; 3–4 feet tall. Mildew-resistant cultivars include:
- ‘Marshall’s Delight’ (pink)
- ‘Jacob Cline’ (deep red)
- ‘Raspberry Wine’ (dark red)
- Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot): Native wildflower with lavender-pink blooms; late summer flowering; drought-tolerant once established
- Monarda pringlei: compact; grow to 18 inches, highly mildew-resistant
- ‘Petite Wonder’
- ‘Petite Delight’ (pink)
More Like This
Is it possible the flower heads are just done? Prompt removal of the spent flower heads will prolong the bloom period.
Bee balms like an even supply of moisture during the growing season. For best performance, water bee balms every 7 to 10 days during dry periods. When watering, soak the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Applying a mulch around the plants will help to conserve soil moisture and reduce the frequency of watering.
These flowers do indeed get powdery mildew, a fungal disease. What you'll see in this case is a "powder" on the upper leaf surfaces and lots of leaf drop.
To avoid this issue, 1. plant in full sun, 2. space plants 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart, 3. divide plants every 2 to 3 years and 4. water during dry periods. Also, remove and destroy disease-infested plant debris in the fall. The fungal spores of powdery mildew survive the winter on disease-infested plant debris. The removal and destruction of this material removes the source of next year's infection.
Finally, buy mildew-resistant varieties. Varieties that possess good mildew resistance include 'Marshall's Delight' (bright pink flowers), 'Gardenview Scarlet' (scarlet-red flowers), 'Violet Queen' (violet-blue flowers), 'Raspberry Wine'(wine-red flowers), and 'Colrain Red' (purplish red flowers).
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