Bee balm in my bonnet

Ah, summer is here and bee balm is lighting up my garden.  For many years I thought the bee balm nickname for monarda referred to the fact that bees love it.  Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds do love monarda but the nick name refers to the use of the leaves to alleviate pain for bee stings. 

The Monarda "Gardenview Scarlet" was the first to be planted in my front yard garden.  It didn't do well there and eventually hitchhiked a ride to my back yard where it has done reasonably well.  The past two seasons have been the best as I heavily ammended my soil and a new soaker hose irrigation fulfilled the watering requirements for the monarda.  I am particularly fond of the combination of this red monarda with verbena bonariensis.  I'd like to take credit for the combo but Tall Vee planted herself among the monarda.             

This combo will give me at least a couple months of bloom.  We all get excited when planting gardens in the spring and tend to forget about what will be blooming during the long hot summer.  An attribute that I like about m. Gardenview Scarlet is that as the flower ages, the petals drop rather than browning.  The center of the flower stays and this gives me a little more time to deadhead as the plant still looks good.

Another monarda in my garden is Monarda 'Blaustrumpf' BLUE STOCKING.  It is a pretty color but I am not as fond of its plant habit.  After yesterday's rain, much of the clump fell over and the other negative for me is that the flowers brown as the flowers die.  Below is a picture of Blue Stocking paired with a "mixed color" dahlia from Annie's Annuals. 

The latest monarda addition to my garden is Monarda "Raspberry Wine".  I planted three of these last year behind some mixed color dahlias I had purchased at Annie's Annuals.  M. Raspberry Wine has grown to a whopping 6 feet tall and the three plants spread to about eight feet across during the last year.  I am impressed that despite the height, all of the stalks stayed completely upright during the rain of the last few days.  Plant habit of the blooms will be evaluated this summer as it did not bloom for me the first year planted.

Get a bee in your bonnet and add some bee balm for summer color in your garden.  Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies will love you for it.