Monarda bradburiana (Eastern Bee Balm)

Monarda bradburiana (Eastern Bee Balm) is a compact, clump-forming perennial boasting showy soft pinkish-lavender tubular flowers, speckled with purple, held in dense, globular terminal heads, 2-3 in. across (5-7 cm). Blooming for 3-4 weeks in late spring, they rest upon a whorl of purplish-tinged bracts and attract scores of butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden. The foliage of gray-green aromatic leaves may be used to flavor teas. This species is resistant to powdery mildew. Eastern Bee Balm is regarded by many as a superior Monarda for the garden, thanks to its mildew resistance, petite size, early blooms, and less aggressive spreading. Eastern Bee Balm is best suited to perennial borders, wild gardens, prairies, and meadows.

• Grows in clumps up to 1-2 ft. tall and wide (30-60 cm). Tends to self-seed.
• Performs best in full sun or partial shade in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil. Tolerates poor soils. Drought tolerant.
• This showy perennial is a striking addition to mixed borders, prairies and meadows.
• Monarda flowers attract streams of butterflies, hummingbirds, and other beneficial pollinators, but this plant is deer and rabbit resistant.
• The essential oils of Eastern Bee Balms show good repellent activity against the yellow fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti. Find 18 best plants that repel mosquitoes.
• Providing good air circulation to combat powdery mildew is important.
• Deadhead spent flowers to encourage new blooms.
• Native to southern and central United States
• Bee Balm belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae, which also includes well-known culinary herbs such as lavender, rosemary, basil, sage, and oregano.