{"id":64,"date":"2006-08-25T18:00:04","date_gmt":"2006-08-25T22:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/2006\/08\/25\/growing-native-bee-balm\/"},"modified":"2010-09-23T04:06:39","modified_gmt":"2010-09-23T08:06:39","slug":"growing-native-bee-balm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/2006\/08\/25\/growing-native-bee-balm\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing native Bee Balm"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--CusAds--><p><a title=\"Photo Sharing\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/dragonden\/224214349\/\" \/=\"\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener noreferrer\" class=\"ext-link\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"Photo Sharing\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/dragonden\/224214349\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"234\" height=\"240\" alt=\"bee-balm_lg\" src=\"http:\/\/static.flickr.com\/87\/224214349_da34ab4f13_m.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><strong>Bee Balm Monarda Didyma<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Description:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Striking red flowers that look like Jesters&#8217; hats and last for weeks give this plant a slightly comical air. Its stem is square (characteristic of plants in the mint family) and its leaves are dark green, sometimes flushed with dark red. Quickly growing into a large, tall clump, bee balm is altogether a sturdy, colorful addition to the garden.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Maintenance and requirements:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"912745ff53504cd4aef8ff3ef7b9aa95\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px;\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"pub-3375789278566919\";\r\n\/* gardengrows_300x250inpost *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"4054669721\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 300;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 250;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Although bee balm prefers moist places in the wild, it can be grown in average moisture conditions in the garden. <\/p>\n<p>Versatile in its light requirements, from partial shade to full sun, and also in its PH tolerance, from slightly acidic to neutral (pH 5.5 to 6.5), bee balm is very easy to grow. The only problem you might encounter is mold, which often covers the leaves in a whitish film, signaling that the plant is crowded and not getting enough air movement; divide plants every few years, and don&#8217;t spray eaves when watering. Deadhead to extend blooming.<\/p><!--CusAds-->\n<p><em> Height<\/em>: 2-5 feet (60 to 150 cm)<\/p>\n<p><em>Blooming period<\/em>: Early to mid-summer<\/p>\n<p><em>Exposure<\/em>: Partial shade to full sun<\/p>\n<p><em>Moisture<\/em>: Moist to average<\/p>\n<p><em>Habitat<\/em>: Moist woods, moist meadows<\/p>\n<p><em>Range<\/em>: North East &#8211; North America<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Propogation<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p>Bee Balm is easy to start from seeds. Simply sprinkle seeds in pots or a bed in late fall or early spring (seeds do not need cold stratification). Or divide the plant in early spring, which is not only useful for propagation, but also helps keep the plant from getting too crowded in the center.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Good Companions<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p>At the woodland edge, plant bee balm with black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus).<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Related Species<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p>Wild Bergamot (M. Fistulosa)<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Wildlife<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p>Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds swarm this plant for nectar.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Misc.<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p>Also known as Oswego tea, because the plants were used by the Oswego Indians for a hot drink. Bruise its aromatic leaves for the scent of Earl Grey Tea.<\/p>\n<!--CusAds--><p><em>I grow two of the hybrid species of Bee balm and I love them. Their care is exactly the same as that of the native species that I&#8217;ve described above. Enjoy! <\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"912745ff53504cd4aef8ff3ef7b9aa95\" data-index=\"9\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<br\/> <br\/>\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"pub-3375789278566919\";\r\n\/* gardengrows_underpost_300x250 *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"0957462354\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 300;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 250;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<br\/>\r\n<br\/>\r\n\r\n<?php if ( is_search() || is_single() || is_page() || is_paged() || is_category() || is_archive() ) { ?>\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\nch_client = \"dragonden\";\r\nch_type = \"mpu\";\r\nch_width = 468;\r\nch_height = 250;\r\nch_color_bg = \"FFFFFF\";\r\nch_color_title = \"FF9B00\";\r\nch_color_text = \"333333\";\r\nch_non_contextual = 4;\r\nch_vertical =\"premium\";\r\nch_sid = \"gardengrows_betweenposts\";\r\nvar ch_queries = new Array( );\r\nvar ch_selected=Math.floor((Math.random()*ch_queries.length));\r\nif ( ch_selected < ch_queries.length ) {\r\nch_query = ch_queries[ch_selected];\r\n}\r\n\/\/--><\/script>\r\n<script  src=\"http:\/\/scripts.chitika.net\/eminimalls\/amm.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br\/><\/div>\r\n<?php } ?>\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bee Balm Monarda Didyma Description: Striking red flowers that look like Jesters&#8217; hats and last for weeks give this plant a slightly comical air. Its stem is square (characteristic of plants in the mint family) and its leaves are dark green, sometimes flushed with dark red. Quickly growing into a large, tall clump, bee balm [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,8,1,10,68],"tags":[132,85,102,346,347,6033],"class_list":{"0":"post-64","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-garden-buzz","7":"category-garden-tips","8":"category-in-the-garden","9":"category-perennials","10":"category-questions-and-answers","11":"tag-bee-balm","12":"tag-garden","13":"tag-growing","14":"tag-monarda-didyma","15":"tag-native-plants-of-north-america","16":"tag-perennials","17":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}