Bee balm

About Bee balm

Bee balm is a native perennial with shaggy flower heads that bumblebees, butterflies and hummingbirds love. Its minty leaves can be used in tea, and it spreads to form clumps.

Scarlet bee balm is hardy in zones 4-9 and wild bergamot in zones 3-9 (NC State).

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Grow from divisions, cuttings or seed (NC State). Scarlet bee balm spreads by underground stems, so give it room; avoid overhead watering to limit powdery mildew, and choose resistant cultivars (NC State).

Soil

Rich, moist but well-drained soil; wild bergamot also handles clay and drier, rocky soils.

Plant in full sun in rich, moist, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic (pH below 6.8). Follow a soil test; without one, work about 1 lb of a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 per 100 sq ft into the bed, plus 2-3 inches of compost or other organic matter. A pH of 6.0 to 6.5 suits most perennials.

Feeding

• early spring, just before new shoots come up (only if growth is weak or a soil test calls for it): complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 5-10-5. Most perennials need little fertilizer; about 1 lb of 10-10-10 per 100 sq ft is plenty. Scatter it around the plants, keep it off the leaves, and water it in.

Overfed perennials make soft, floppy growth and very few flowers. Do not let the soil dry out, since drought-stressed plants get more powdery mildew.

Harvest

Pick leaves for tea and flowers for garnish as needed. Leave cut stems standing so native bees can nest in them (NC State).

Varieties (26)

Diseases and problems

Powdery mildew, Rust

In the kitchen

Leaves are used in tea and to flavor jellies, soups and fruit salads; the flowers are edible (NC State).

Keeping it: Pick edible flowers the day you use them; if you must hold them, keep them in a plastic bag in the fridge for a day or so.

Pets: Not listed as toxic by the ASPCA