Herb · Lamiaceae
Bee Balm
Monarda didyma
Give it full sun, moist soil, and room to breathe, and bee balm will pull in bees and hummingbirds all summer.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 4–9
2–4 ft · 0.6–1.2 m
Overview
Bee balm is a North American native in the mint family, sending up shaggy red, pink, or wine blooms on square stems above wonderfully aromatic leaves. Those flowers pull in bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds for weeks on end, and a crushed leaf gives off a citrusy scent that earned the plant its bergamot nickname.
It spreads by underground rhizomes, so a single plant grows into a wide clump in just a few seasons. That habit makes it a joy in a meadow planting but a bit of a chore in a tidy border, where you simply divide it now and then to keep it in bounds. The leaves were long brewed as tea by the Oswego people, which is where the name Oswego tea comes from.
This is a plant that asks for very little: sun, steady moisture, and air moving freely through its stems, and in return it gives you months of color. Skimp on airflow and you invite powdery mildew, its one real weakness, but even that is easy to manage once you know to watch for it.
Care
The short version: give bee balm full sun and rich soil kept evenly moist, with good air circulation around the stems. Divide the clump every 3 to 4 years to keep it vigorous, and deadhead spent blooms to pull a welcome second round of flowers.
Light
Bee balm wants full sun to flower hard and stay healthy. It will take a little partial shade if it must, but shade is the main reason a plant blooms poorly and lets mildew take hold, so give it as much light as you comfortably can.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist, much like the moist meadows and streambanks this plant calls home. Water roughly every 3 to 7 days depending on the weather, and always water at the base, since wet leaves are an open invitation to powdery mildew.
Soil
Bee balm is happiest in rich, humusy ground that holds moisture, and it even tolerates heavy clay well. Aim for a pH between 6.0 and 7.0, which is slightly acidic to neutral, and the plant will reward you.
Temperature
This is a tough, cold-hardy perennial that takes winters down to -29°F (-34°C) and summer heat up to 90°F (32°C). That wide range is part of why it is so widely grown, and it means you rarely need to fuss over the weather.
Humidity
Average humidity in the 40% to 60% range suits it just fine. Moving air matters far more than the moisture in it, since still, muggy conditions around crowded stems are exactly what powdery mildew needs to spread.
Feeding
Feed once in spring with a balanced fertilizer or a top-dressing of compost, and leave it at that. That single yearly boost is plenty for a native that thrives in ordinary garden soil, so there is no need to overdo it.
Pruning
Deadhead the spent flowers through the season to coax a second flush of bloom, then cut the plant back to its basal leaves once flowering ends. Thin out crowded stems for better airflow, and leave a few hollow stems standing over winter as nesting habitat for native bees.
Repotting
Bee balm is a garden perennial rather than a potted plant, so the real maintenance is simply dividing the clump every 3 to 4 years. Lift and split it once the center dies out or flowering starts to fall off, and the plant comes back refreshed.
Size & spacing
Plants reach 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) tall and spread 16 to 35 inches (40 to 90 cm) wide. Give each clump its full width so air can move freely between the stems and mildew stays down.
When to plant
Bee balm is a cold-winter perennial, so start seed indoors in late winter and set young plants out in spring once the frost has passed. Expect showy flowers from midsummer into early fall, and if tea is your aim, pick the leaves just before it blooms, when their flavor peaks.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter, 6-8 weeks before last frost
- Plant: Spring after last frost
- Harvest: Showy flowers mid-to-late summer (July-September); harvest aromatic leaves before flowering for best tea flavor
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every bee balm problem traces back to crowded, stagnant air or too little sun, which is reassuring because both are easy to fix. Read the leaves and the shape of the clump to catch trouble early, then match what you see below and act before it spreads.
A Bald Dead Center While Growth Races Outward
Bee balm travels by rhizomes, so over time an old clump naturally hollows out in the middle and pushes wider and wider at the edges. This is simply its nature, not a disease, so there is no reason to worry. Lift and divide the clump every 3 to 4 years, replant the strong outer pieces, and tug out any stray rhizomes that wander where you would rather they did not. Doing this keeps the plant young and tidy.
Fix:
- Divide clumps every 3-4 years, replanting vigorous outer sections
- Remove unwanted rhizomes to control spread
White Dusty Film Spreading Across the Leaves
That pale coating is powdery mildew, the most common complaint folks have with bee balm, and it shows up when stems sit crowded together in stale, still air. Overhead watering and warm, muggy days that never quite dry out only make it spread faster. The good news is this is very fixable: thin and divide the congested clump so air can move through, water gently at the base instead of over the top, snip off the worst-looking leaves, and reach for mildew-resistant cultivars next time you plant.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by thinning and dividing crowded clumps
- Avoid overhead watering; water at the base
- Remove and dispose of affected foliage
- Choose mildew-resistant cultivars
Orange-Brown Bumps on the Undersides of Leaves
When you turn a leaf over and find raised, rusty-colored bumps, you are looking at a rust infection, and it is nothing to panic over. Simply pick off and destroy the marked leaves, open up the planting so air moves more freely between the stems, and do your best to keep water off the foliage. The plant takes this in stride and will keep right on growing.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected leaves
- Improve air circulation
- Avoid wetting foliage
Healthy Leaves but Barely Any Flowers
When the foliage looks lovely but the blooms just are not coming, two things are usually behind it: too much shade and a clump that has grown too crowded for its own good. Move the plant into full sun or thin out whatever is shading it, split a congested clump to give it fresh room and renewed vigor, and keep deadheading the spent blooms to coax out a second flush. A little adjustment and the flowers return.
Fix:
- Relocate to or thin for full sun
- Divide overcrowded clumps
- Deadhead to encourage rebloom
Toxicity
Bee balm is safe all around. The aromatic leaves are edible and have long been brewed as Oswego tea, and no extension source lists it as toxic to people or pets. A pet that grazes a few leaves has absolutely nothing to fear.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
This is not a poison plant, so a curious cat nibbling a leaf has nothing to fear. A big mouthful of any strong herb might briefly unsettle a stomach, but that passes on its own.
Dogs None
Dogs can brush past or chew the aromatic foliage without any harm. The worst a greedy eater might get is a little brief loose stool from the sheer volume, not from anything toxic in the plant.
Horses Safe
Horses graze it without trouble, which is exactly how the wild plant earned the name horsemint. There is no toxin here to watch out for.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can sample the leaves safely, and the mint-family scent often keeps them from making a full meal of it anyway.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze the foliage with no ill effect. Nothing in the plant poses a risk to a grazing herd.
Birds Safe
It is harmless to birds, and the nectar-rich blooms happily draw hummingbirds all summer long. Backyard hens can pick at the leaves without any worry.
People Safe
The aromatic leaves are edible and have long been brewed as Oswego tea. Pick them before the plant flowers for the best flavor, and the blossoms make a pretty edible garnish too.
Generally safe to handle; the aromatic foliage is edible. As with any plant, discourage pets from grazing large quantities.
Varieties
Many named cultivars of bee balm exist, chosen mostly for their flower color and mildew resistance. These are a few of the most common ones you are likely to find.
'Jacob Cline'
Big red flowers on a plant that shrugs off powdery mildew better than most, which has made it a lasting garden favorite.
'Marshall's Delight'
Clear pink flowers on a selection bred for strong mildew resistance.
'Raspberry Wine'
Wine-red blooms held on tall, vigorous stems that stand up well in a border.
'Petite Delight'
A compact, dwarf grower with soft lavender-pink flowers, lovely for small beds and containers.
How to propagate
Bee balm is wonderfully easy to multiply, and the quickest route is the very same chore that keeps it healthy. If you would like more plants from scratch, you can also start from cuttings or seed.
DivisionEasy
Spring or fall, every 3-4 years · One growing season
This is the easiest way to make more bee balm, and the happy part is you will be doing it anyway to keep the clump healthy. Dig up the spreading clump in spring or fall, split it apart, replant the vigorous outer sections, and discard the woody, spent center. The new divisions settle in nicely over a single growing season.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Late spring to early summer from softwood growth · Several weeks to root, established by next season
Take softwood cuttings from non-flowering shoots in late spring or early summer and stand them in a moist medium. They take several weeks to root and are usually well established by the following season, so a little patience pays off here.
SeedModerate
Start indoors late winter or sow outdoors in spring · Blooms typically in the second year
Start seed indoors in late winter or sow it outdoors in spring, though it is good to expect to wait until the second year for blooms. Seed saved from a named cultivar will not come true to type, so reach for division whenever you want an exact copy of the parent.
Myths
Bee Balm Is the Source of the Bergamot That Flavors Earl Grey Tea
The bergamot in Earl Grey actually comes from the bergamot orange, Citrus bergamia, a fruit with no connection to this plant at all. Monarda picked up the bergamot nickname simply because its scent reminds people of that citrus, so the two are completely unrelated.