Bee Balm (Monards punctada), also known
as dotted horse mint, is a late summer bloomer. It is described as having
“showy flowers” – and the blooms are quite unusual – to me the shape is
reminiscent of an elaborate crown or tiara. I don’t think of them as “showy”
though, because of the pale pink / blush color.
The Bee Balm plant is quite lovely though.
The plant can grow to 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide, but it is tolerant of
being trimmed and shaped if you want to keep it tidy in a bed. Bee Balm attracts a wide variety of
pollinators – bees, butterflies, wasps.
The plant had many homeopathic uses – to treat ringworm and hookworm
infections, has been used as an antiseptic in mouthwash and toothpaste –
because of it is a natural source of the antiseptic compound, thymol.
Bee Balm is an aggressive re-seeder, so you may want to cut the spent
flower stalks as soon as possible. I read that it does not mix well with other
wildflowers, so that explains why Green Isle Habitat Designer Kirsten
Sharp-Ortega [Green Isle Gardens], planted it inside a bed, between my
Flatwood Plum trees and behind the Pinelands Lantana. The plant dies back down to the ground in the
fall.
RESOURCES:
https://www.fnps.org/plants/plant/monarda-punctata
http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/bayco/2016/09/16/attract-pollinators-with-dotted-horsemint/
https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-monarda-punctata/
http://hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com/2010/11/dotted-horsemint-monarda-punctata.html
August
2018 – Bee Balm planted in July, starting to bloom
September 2018 Beautiful Bee Balm plant
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