#Bee balm plant winter care how to#
#Bee balm plant winter care full#

The exception is wild bergamot, which will tolerate much drier soil. Most varieties of bee balm like soil that stays consistently moist. It will grow in partial shade, but the plants tend to get leggy and can be more susceptible to fungal infections and powdery mildew.

#Bee balm plant winter care full#

Ideally, plant your bee balm in a spot that gets full sun. (If you order your bee balm from an online source, it will often be shipped to you at just the right time for planting.) In the early fall, plant when the weather turns cool but before a hard frost comes through. In the spring, plant bee balm after all danger of frost has passed.

#Bee balm plant winter care how to#

How to Plant and Grow Bee Balm When and Where to Plant Bee Balmīee balm seedlings can be planted in the cool months of either spring or fall. Provide consistently moist soil and plenty of light as your seedlings grow.Īlternatively, you can directly sow your seeds in the garden after your last spring frost date by barely covering the seeds with soil and keeping the soil moist until germination occurs.

Your seeds will sprout slowly and can take anywhere from 10-30 days to come up. Water gently so that you don’t wash the seeds away, then place your trays or pots under grow lights or by a window because light will help the seeds to germinate. Sow your seeds on top of the soil and barely cover them with a sprinkling of seed-starting mix. Use seed-starting trays or small pots filled with damp, good-quality seed starting mix. The best method for most gardeners is to start your seeds indoors about 8 weeks before your last average spring frost date. They also make lovely cut flowers and are deer resistant, which is even more reason to grow this beneficial plant. When crushed, the leaves also repel mosquitos, which can be very useful!īee balm flowers are edible as well and can be added to tea or used as a garnish. The leaves of bee balm can be harvested to make a fragrant, slightly minty herbal bee balm tea that has been used to aid digestion and strengthen immune health in traditional medicine. In the fall and early winter, song birds, like finches, will show up to feed on the seed heads left behind when the plants fade. It attracts a range of bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds during the summer months. There’s no doubt that bee balm is a favorite with pollinators and birds. It will struggle the most in hot, dry areas but is otherwise very hardy. Most gardeners in USDA hardiness zones 3-9 can have success growing bee balm.

As a member of the mint family, bee balm has the characteristic square stems familiar in other mint plants. The plants have whorled blooms that develop on long stems and come in shades of red, purple, white, and pink. Growing native plants is an easy way to make your garden pollinator-friendly.īee balm normally grows 3-4’ feet tall, but there are now dwarf cultivars that top out at 10-15”. Bee balm plants naturally in woodland and meadow areas and has become a staple cottage garden plant, although newer varieties are also suited to urban gardens.

All About Bee Balm: A Native Pollinator PlantĪll About Bee Balm: A Native Pollinator Plantīee balm ( Monarda spp.) is a perennial plant native to North America.