![]() Here eastern bee balm is painted with moor grass (Midinia caerulea) and lesser calamint (Calamintha nepta; syn. Clinopodium nepeta). |
Common Name: Eastern bee balm
Botanical Name: Monarda bradburiana
Type of Plant: Perennial, hardy in USDA Zones 5 through 8
Color: Lavender pink
Blooming Period: Early June through mid-July
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Size: 12 to 24 inches tall and wide
When to Plant: Throughout the growing season
Soil: Average to slightly dry soil; I planted this in my gravel garden, where it is doing well.
Watering: Keep moist until established. Thereafter, does not need supplemental watering.
When to fertilize: Needs no commercial fertilizer. Nutrients can be provided by mulching with leaf compost every two to three years.
In Your Landscape: Grow it with prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), Salvia ‘Wesuwe’, Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’ and blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis).
From Wisconsin Gardening Volume II Issue III. Photo courtesy of Roy Diblik.