Bee balm blooms and repels: A vibrant garden addition
Bee balm is a plant that captures attention with its colourful inflorescence and simultaneously effectively repels ticks. It's no surprise that so many people have it in their gardens. Moreover, it blooms for nearly the entire summer.
In our gardens, you can often find plants like nasturtiums, marigolds, calendulas, or stocks, adding charm. It’s worth enriching this collection this year with bee balm, also known as monarda or bergamot. No wonder gardeners love it.
Bee balm: A hit in the garden
Bee balm amazes with the variety of colours of its flowers – you can find varieties in burgundy, cream, pink, purple, and yellow, making it a wonderful decoration for any garden. However, its charm is not limited to appearance alone.
Bee balm is distinguished by a unique scent that may resemble lemon, strawberry, or even lavender. This is thanks to essential oils that not only attract insects like butterflies and bees to the garden but also effectively repel ticks.
Caring for bee balm
Bee balm prefers warm and sunny places, allowing its blooming period to extend for about three months, from July to September. In full shade, the plant will still bloom, but its flowers will be smaller. It's also best to provide it with fertile and slightly moist soil.
Caring for bee balm mainly involves regular watering and pruning. On hot days, when temperatures are high, the plant needs more frequent watering, but overwatering should be avoided. The soil should be moderately moist but not soaked.
Pruning bee balm should occur after the flowering period ends, which encourages the plant to bloom again. It can also be strengthened with organic fertilisers. Interestingly, due to its frost resistance, it doesn’t require protection in winter.
