A native perennial favorite, bee balm (also called wild bergamot) is beloved in flower beds for its beautiful blooms of red, pink, purple or white, plus the fragrant foliage. Here’s how to plant and grow bee balm in your garden!
Bee balm flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees; and the seed heads will attract birds in the fall and winter. Learn more about plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
- Bee balm can be planted in the spring or in the fall.
- Bee balm thrives in full sunshine but can withstand partial shade.
- Space plants 18-24 inches apart in rich, well-draining soil.
- Mulch lightly.
- Water thoroughly.
- Keep soil evenly moist.
- Add additional mulch around the plants as they grow to preserve the moisture in the soil and control weeds.
- Deadhead faded blooms to encourage the plant to re-bloom in late summer.
- After the first frost in the fall, cut stems back to about 2 inches above the soil.
- Divide bee balm every 2 to 3 years to ensure its vigor. In the spring make small divisions of the newer roots of established plants and replant.
