Monarda clinopodia (Basil Bee Balm)
$8.00
Out of stock
Size: 2-3.5’ tall / 2-3’ wide
Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Well-Drained, Medium-Moist
Bloom Time: Summer
Deer Resistance: 4/5
Ecotype: Unknown
Basil Bee Balm is a vigorous perennial that readily spreads via rhizomes to create large patches. This may make it better suited for naturalized areas or meadows than for tidier gardens, however the roots are shallow and easily pulled to keep in check. Like other Monardas, it is susceptible to powdery mildew, but it is far more resilient in my experience, showing milder symptoms later in the season. (Mt. Cuba Center seems to confirm this.) When it is finished flowering, it forms attractive seedheads that persist through the winter.
As the name suggests, it is attractive to bees and other pollinators, and 12 species of moth and butterfly use it (and other Monardas) as a host plant, including the Orange Mint and Hermit Sphinx moths. The aromatic leaves of this plant make it unpalatable to deer and rabbits.