Also called bergamot, bee balm, horsemint, and oswego tea, Monarda is a genus of annuals and herbaceous perennials belonging to the deadnettle family, Lamiaceae, that also includes mint, lavender and sage. Plants grow 8-60″ tall and have stems that are square in cross section and carry lanceolate leaves 2.8-5.5″ long with toothed margins. The red, pink, pale yellow or light purple flowers are borne in terminal head-like clusters and are tubular with a narrow upper lip and a wider lower lip. The flowers attract hummingbirds and pollinating insects but the plants tend to develop powdery mildew in high humidity. They thrive moist, well-drained soil in sun but tolerate partial shade.
The genus name, Monarda, honors Nicholas Monardes (1493-1588), physician and botanist of Seville, Spain.
Photo Credit: Hardyplants, Wikimedia Commons
The environmental conditions in New England have resulted in at least four native species of Monarda there although they may be native to other places too. All of the Monardas described here are native to at least three states in New England.
Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
The coarse green leaves are 3-6″ long, ovate to lance shaped with serrated margins, and have reddish veins and hairy undersides. In early to late summer, bright red flowers appear in dense rounded terminal clusters of about 30 subtended by a whorl or red-tinged leafy bracts. The clusters are 3-4″ across and attract humming birds, butterflies, and other pollinators including bumble bees.
Alternate Name/s: Oswego tea, bergamot, crimson bee balm, Eau-de-Cologne plant
Native Range: All New England as well as areas in the Pacific Coast, Midwest, Mid Atlantic, and Southeast
Habitat: Moist woods, thickets, bottomlands and along stream banks
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-4′
Bloom Time: Summer
Bloom Color: Bright red
Light: Full sun; tolerates some shade
Soil: Fertile humusy, medium moist to wet, well-drained; does not tolerate drying out
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Photo Credit: NellsWiki, Wikimedia Commons
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Oblong, grayish-green leaves are up to 4″ long. The pink to lavender flowers appear in dense, rounded terminal clusters subtended by a whorl of showy, pinkish, leafy bracts, and attract humming birds, butterflies, and other pollinators including bumble bees.
Alternate Name/s: Bee balm, eastern bergamot
Native Range: All New England as well as all the rest of the US except California and Florida
Habitat: Prairies, fields, wet meadows, marshes, dry open woods, woodland margins
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-4′
Bloom Time: Summer
Bloom Color: Pink to lavender
Light :Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Fertile, dry to medium moist, well-drained; tolerates poor soil, drought and heat
USDA Hardiness Zones:3-9
Photo Credit: D. Garden E. Robertson, Wikimedia Commons
Purple Bergamot (Monarda media)
Silvery green leaves are lance-shaped, covered with fine hairs, and have serrated margins and a strong mint fragrance. Cluster of reddish-purple flowers subtended by purplish bracts appear from mid to late summer. The clusters are up to 2.5″ wide, fragrant, and attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators including bumble bees. The seeds are eaten by goldfinches.
Alternate Name/s: Horsemint
Native Range: All New England as well as parts of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest.
Habitat: Swampy habitats, stream banks, thickets
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-3′
Bloom Time: Mid to late summer
Bloom Color: Reddish purple
Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Humusy, moist, occasionally wet, well-drained, acidic
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Photo Credit: Evan M. Raskin, Wikimedia Commons
Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata)
The narrowly lanceolate leaves are 1-3″ long and have dentate margins and a Greek oregano fragrance. Clusters of pale yellow flowers spotted with purple appear in in the leaf axils and stem ends over a long bloom time starting in late spring to summer. Each cluster is subtended by light pink to white tinged leafy bracts which are more showy than the flowers. The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators including bumble bees and beneficial wasps.
Alternate Name/s: Dotted beebalm, dotted horsemint
Native Range: Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut as well as areas in the Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountain area, Southwest, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast
Habitat: Prairies, pastures, meadows, savannas, sandy areas, rocky woodlands, and coastal plains.
Type: Perennial
Height: 1-5′
Bloom Time: Late spring to fall
Bloom Color: Pale yellow spotted with purple
Light: Full sun, part shade
Soil: Average, sandy, dry to medium moist, well-drained; tolerant of drought and poor soil
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
Photo Credit: Amber M. King, Wikimedia Commons
The New England area includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The area offers 4 distinct seasons, diverse geography with rivers, lakes, forests, mountains, and coast lines on both the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound. The winters are long, cold, and heavy snow is common from December to February. Summer is short with temperatures between 80 and 85 F. Precipitation averages about 45″ as rain and 60-90″ as snow.