Bee Balm

Spotted Bee Balm – Monarda Punctata (100% Heirloom/Non-Hybrid/Non-GMO)

If you have an area of yard you would like to shield for a bit more privacy, consider planting a border of bee balm.

The spotted bee balm plant produces a beautiful plant with purple spotted flowers known to attract bees and other beneficial garden pollinators.
Common names include bee balm, horsemint, oswego tea, and wild bergamot.
Smell is similar to thyme.
Has been used in teas and for other medicinal purposes.
This plant is drought tolerant. Grows well in dry conditions, requiring little water to grow.
Can grow up to 40″ tall.
Perennial.

Many varieties grow to be 3-4 feet tall, making them an ideal mid-height privacy screen.

When you consider that bee balm’s scent naturally repels most insects, it becomes a prime candidate to plant around your porch or patio. 🐝

The leaves and flowers are edible and make a delicious (and healthy) tea and popular folk remedies. Even if you don’t care to eat them, the impressive flowers, with their long, sturdy stems, are an obvious choice in cut-flower arrangements. Their sweet, citrusy scent is a bonus.

Growing Bee Balm

Bee balm grows easily in USDA hardiness zones 4-9. The plant prefers rich, moist soil but needs good airflow among its leaves. It will flourish in full sun and does well in partial shade. If you have a shaded area of your lawn for a portion of the day, bee balm will be quite happy there.

DeltonaGardenClub.com for more great articles.

Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies

Wildflower establishment requires some important steps:

Seeding: You will want to have good seed to soil contact, broadcasting by hand is a good approach on small plot, may want to mix with an inert carrier, sand or other. Raking in and covering with soil 2-3 times seed thickness.

Watering: During establishment for the first month, can be from rain in spring or supplement with irrigation. 💦

Timing: The best time to plant is in spring to early summer and even again in late fall.

Pretty amazing assortment to get you started on your very own wildflower garden.

If you plant it, they will come! 🐝🦋

Click anywhere on the photos for more detail.

Order all for $1.99

Scatter and enjoy!!!

Speed Week?

It’s a little too soon for Speed Weeks 🏁 in Daytona so it “must be “Seed Weeks”! 🤪

If you are following this blog, then you will see it’s already time to transplant the seeds that were just in baggies!

“Recycling” the days trash into useful vessels

What a difference a few days makes. Shhh, had to eat all the Krispy Kreme donuts to put the box to good use! Oatmeal box, egg crate, toilet rolls, dog food box; etc!

“Recycling” all in a days work as well!

The Lettuce and Calabrese Broccoli actually sprouted in 2 days and grew quite fast. I had to use a skewer stick to push roots down further into soil. Tomorrow they’ll be jumping out to the garden by themselves!