Bee Balm, Monarda fistulosa | Lemon Bee Balm, Monarda citriodora | Bee Balm, Panorama, Monarda didyma | Spotted Bee Balm, Monarda punctata |
Common Name Biological Name Type Family Native Range Zone Height Spread Bloom Time Bloom Description Sun Water Maintenance Suggested Use Flower Leaf Attracts |
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa Herbaceous perennial Lamiaceae Canada to Mexico 3 to 9 2.00 to 4.00 feet 2.00 to 3.00 feet July to September Pink/lavender Full sun to part shade Dry to medium Medium Herb, Naturalize, Rain Garden Showy, Fragrant, Good Cut, Good Dried Fragrant Hummingbirds, Butterflies Deer, Drought, Clay Soil, Dry |
Best grown in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates somewhat poor soils and some drought. Plants need good air circulation. Deadhead flowers to prolong summer bloom. Tends to self-seed. Monarda fistulosa, commonly called wild bergamot, is a common Missouri native perennial which occurs statewide in dryish soils on prairies, dry rocky woods and glade margins, unplanted fields and along roads and railroads. A clump-forming, mint family member that grows typically to 2-4′ tall. Lavender, two-lipped, tubular flowers appear in dense, globular, solitary, terminal heads atop square stems. Each flower head is subtended by (rests upon) a whorl of showy, pinkish, leafy bracts. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. The toothed, aromatic, oblong, grayish-green leaves (to 4″) may be used in teas. Long summer bloom period. Genus name honors Nicholas Monardes (1493-1588), physician and botanist of Seville. Specific epithet means hollow like a pipe. Powdery mildew can be a significant problem with the monardas, particularly in crowded gardens with poor air circulation. This species has good mildew resistance, however. Rust can also be a problem. Provides color and contrast for the herb garden, wild garden, native plant garden, meadow or naturalized area. May be used in the perennial border, but is simply a less colorful selection than the similar-in-appearance Monarda didyma and its many cultivars (the beebalms). |
Information on this page is generally from Missouri Botanical Gardens, Dave’s Garden, All things Plants or Texas Superstar |
This page last updated or reviewed [220501]