How To Plant Monarda. With aromatic foliage and flowers over a long period in summer, bergamots are ideal for any mixed or herbaceous summer border. Best planted in the spring or fall, bee balm plants will produce clusters of scarlet, pink, or purple tubular flowers in mid to late summer.
The species is usually red, but you can find cultivars in shades of pink, purple. Divide plants or sow seeds. Monarda are best positioned in an area of full sun, although will tolerate part shade.
Cut Back After Flowering Unless Saving Seeds Or Feeding Birds:
Because sowing bee balm seeds directly outdoors is a bit more risky, you may consider sowing on a day that is calm & free of high winds. Colonizing by rhizomes is the process in which a plant sends shoots, or roots out sideways, and new stalks will emerge from the soil from these. Divide plants or sow seeds.
Water In Well And Keep The Division Moist While It Becomes Reestablished.
Replant the divisions into small pots, or into a new space in the garden. Plant roots will also spread naturally. The more sunlight bee balm receives, the larger the plant will grow.
Space Monarda Plants 18 To 24 Inches Apart In Organically Rich Soil With A Ph Of 6.0 To 6.7 That Drains Easily.
Monarda didyma ‘cambridge scarlet’ can be seen flowering in our garden in the above photo (2015) and below (2018). Monarda didyma requires rich, moist soils for best growth, while monarda fistulosa is more tolerant of dry conditions. Planting monarda potted plants in the garden:
Amend The Planting Area With Organic Matter Such As Manure, Compost Or Leaf Mould And Mix Thoroughly With The Native Soil.
Monarda didyma is extremely attractive to bees. Best planted in the spring or fall, bee balm plants will produce clusters of scarlet, pink, or purple tubular flowers in mid to late summer. In common with many aromatic plants, it dislikes excessive winter wet.
The Genus Monarda Was Named For Spanish Physician And Botanist Nocholas Monardes, Who Published Some Of The First European Books On American Native Plants In The Late 1500S.
Bee balm (monarda didyma) adds brilliant color to the garden in summer. You may plant it in any spot that is protected and provides enough headroom as it can grow to about four feet (one meter) high. Remove plant from container and gently tease out roots if potbound.
