Information on the Bee Balm Plant
Bee balm (Monarda didyma) is a perennial from the Mint family, often called bergamot or Oswego tea. Bee balm produces an attractive flower, which has the ability to lure hummingbirds, bees and butterflies to your garden. Does this Spark an idea?
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Identification
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Bee balm will grow to be as high as 5 feet, with 3- to 6-inch long leaves. The plant forms spreading clumps as wide as 3 feet on occasion. The bright red tubular flowers occur in a cluster on the stems. The plant dies all the way down to the ground each winter, but comes back in the spring.
Geography
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Bee balm grows in the wild from Ontario eastward through Maine and south through Georgia. The range of bee balm extends as far west as Missouri and Minnesota, with the plant also occurring in parts of the Pacific Northwest. Bee balm tolerates wet ground relatively well, but is susceptible to the effects of drought.
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Considerations
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A good choice for butterfly gardens, bee balm comes in many hybrids featuring different colors. Among them is the Violet Queen cultivar, producing purple blooms and the Alba variety known for its white flowers. In colonial times, the colonists in America learned from the Oswego tribe of New York State to utilize the leaves of bee balm to make a form of tea.
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