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Butterfly Garden

Monarda Fistulosa

17 years ago

If there's one plant that's been a real surprise this year, it's been the monarda fistulosa I received as a freebie with one of my plant orders. The first surprise it gave me was its height - it's about 5' tall, which is 3' or 4' taller than I thought it'd get. Since it started blooming, the butterflies can't leave it alone! Every time I look at it, it's got at least one butterfly on it, sometimes two, occasionally three, and this afternoon I saw four on it!

Here are two pictures of butterflies on it, the first a female black swallowtail, the second a male spicebush swallowtail.

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MissSherry

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Comments (7)

John Pool
17 years ago
MissSherry:
A quick search on "Monarda Fistulosa" gives the common name of wild bergamot. Is this a different plant than bee balm? If so, is it less prone to powerdy mildew. While they're still a week or two away from blooming, I hope my bee balm looks as good (to me and the butterflys) as your Monarda Fistulosa. JPool
MissSherry
Original Author
17 years ago
JPool, wild bergamot, bee balm, and monarda are all the same plant, except that the red flowering type is monarda didyma, and the purple flowering type is m. fistulosa. Mine got a little powdery mildew earlier this spring, even though it was the cultivar 'Claire Grace' which isn't supposed to get any. It was minor, though. I wish it'd keep blooming like this all summer!
MissSherry
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I am looking for a good sized clump of snow white monarda. I have Monarda fistulosa to trade. Or I can trade these Monarda didymas: Mahogany, Blue Stocking, Raspberry Wine. Or see my trade list for other possiblities. Email if interested. Thanks.
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Okay, then here's a trick question . . . How do I pronounce, "Agastache??" I think I'm okay with monarda. Anise hyssop scares me only a little . . . I'd prefer to use the term mint for everything, EVERYTHING. Could that be possible or is it just aiding and abetting? Steve
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Ty terrene. I certainly feel lucky to have gotten this place. It's been alot of work buying a property considered a fixer upper but I have few complaints. If anything all the work inside and out has given me back a little of my sanity. My only dissapointment being that much of the gardens were raided by certain neighbors after the passing of the original owners. A majority of the gardens were chock full of holes. The daughter of the owners even went as far as to call the cops on the one neighbor and had them dig the plants back up to return them. I think the worst culprit was the landscaper across the street. The lady behind me said she saw him over here with half a dozen of his guys all pushing wheelbarrows. I heard tales of a wonderous rose garden with dozens of species but needless to say there are none now. Fortunately for me many of the species that weren't here the first year have returned this year when I used the compost I collected while giving the place it's first major weeding in what must have been several years. After churning in first year compost into a once empty mound garden I now have a dozen examples of perrenials that didn't exist my first season. Oh how my sanity returns to me. Best of all .... the lovely fragrance of bee balm decayed into the soil. Reminds me of home.
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Thanks...ahughes and Froggy, As far as the smell goes...my fistulosa IS strong but what I'm saying leaves are not as pungently smelling while it is ready to bloom...right now the horsemint is smelling much stronger is all.
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emmayct
17 years ago
Miss Sherry, this is a plant that grows wild in my special "PVS" place....

Butterflies just love it. Especially the BSTs, SBSs, and PVSs.

When I was up there last week it was really shooting up. No flowers yet though... Soon I hope.

Where did you get the plant. I was considering it for my garden but it seemed a tad bit invasive.
MissSherry
Original Author
17 years ago
Mine came from Pine Ridge Gardens in Arkansas, Mary Ann. Like I said, it was a throw in, but I'm glad she threw it in. I'm going to wait til next year to see if it spreads - if it doesn't, I'll plant some more. I need a lot of any flower this popular.
That's great that it grows wild in your special PVS place - the PVSs will have a great nectar plant available!
MissSherry
mcronin
17 years ago
MissSherry,

Thanks for renewing my faith in monarda. The butterflies love it here, but it has been so dry the last 2 years that I've lost most of mine. However, you persuaded me to add a few monarda beds, and water them more often.

mike
emmayct
17 years ago
I found my picture that I took last year of a PVS on what looks like your monarda.

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MissSherry
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes, there are many types of monarda, and if the one in your picture isn't m. fistulosa, it's definitely one of the other types. They must all have a lot of nectar!
MissSherry

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?what to do with this little guy?

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