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The Complete Guide and Care Tips for Beebalm Plant
If you’re looking to add some color and fragrance to your garden, then the beebalm plant is an excellent choice.
Known for its vibrant flowers, this perennial herb attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to your garden.
What is Beebalm Plant?
Beebalm plant, also known as Monarda or Bergamot, is a native North American herb that blooms during the summer months.
It belongs to the mint family and has highly fragrant leaves that release a citrusy aroma when crushed.
The flowers of the beebalm plant come in different shades of pink, red or purple.
Types of Beebalm Plants
There are several types of beebalm plants available in nurseries.
Here are some popular varieties:
- Mondara fistulosa (Wild Bergamot): This variety grows up to 3 feet tall with lavender-colored flowers.
- Mondara didyma (Scarlet Beebalm): Scarlet beebalms have bright red petals that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
- Mondara punctata (Spotted Beebalm): As the name suggests, this variety has spotted petals with pinkish-lavender or white hues.
Care Tips for Beebalms Plants
Beebalms plants thrive best in well-draining soil with full sun exposure.
However they can also grow in partial shade but may produce fewer flowers.
Here are some tips on how to care for your beebalms:
- Watering: Beebalms have average watering needs, which means they need to be watered once a week.
However, in hot and dry weather conditions, you may want to water them more often.
- Fertilizing: You can fertilize your beebalms with a granular slow-release balanced fertilizer during the spring season.
This will provide sufficient nutrients for the plant throughout the growing season.
- Pruning: Prune your beebalms in early spring before new growth appears or after flowering to promote bushy growth and prevent disease infestations.
- Pests and Diseases: Beebalm plants are prone to powdery mildew, spider mites, aphids and rust fungus.
To prevent these diseases from infecting your plant use neem oil spray or fungicides as needed.
The Benefits of Growing Beebalm Plants
Growing beebalm plants in your garden has several benefits besides its beautiful flowers.
They are low maintenance and attract pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds that help in the reproduction of other plants in the garden.
The leaves of this herb also have medicinal properties that can help treat colds and flu symptoms when brewed into tea.
In Conclusion
Beebalm is an attractive herb that is easy to grow provided it gets well-draining soil with plenty of sun exposure.
It produces vibrant flowers that add color while attracting pollinators to your garden ecosystem.
By following our care tips above you can enjoy a healthy-looking bergamot plant all through summer until fall arrives!
