Beebalm (Monarda)

Yes....You have a beautiful Monarda growing there.

Thank you so much!! :-)

I've been trying to get red bee balm for several years and I got it this year! Enjoy it! It's a pollinator magnet--lots of bees and butterflies. If you cut off a leaf it smells like mint.

^It's bergamot, so it smells like Earl Grey tea.

The Bergamot oil used in Earl Grey comes from a citrus fruit, Citrus bergamia. It isn't from Monarda, despite the common name of Bergamot.

Flora, we were across the channel from you in a country I won't name. It was 14:30 and we were refused Earl Grey Tea because it was not late enough. The server was kind but firm, and he offered a good substitute. Question: Is it also like that in merrye England?

No ;-) That's bizarre. Never come across that 'rule' before.

i think in the 60's we got a seed pack of these in a cereal box ..... and they were labeled.. and we called them FIRECRACKER PLANTS ...

and i just learned last week... that they reliably bloom on.. wait for it.. the 4th of july ... go figure...

very prone to powdery mildew... if they go into darkness wet ... try to avoid such ...

ken