Monarda didyma
With flowers that glow crimson in the summer sun, scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma) will light up your mid-summer landscape. This wildflower thrives in moist, fertile soils and prefers part to full sun, making it ideal for rain gardens, soakaways, or any low-lying areas in your yard that tend to stay damp.
Growing from 60 centimetres to just over a metre tall, scarlet beebalm’s sturdy stems support clusters of shaggy, vivid, red flowers. These blooms are a reliable nectar source for bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds. Keep your eyes open for the striking black and yellow of eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies, which visit these flowers.
Scarlet beebalm is easy to grow and will form colonies over time, spreading gradually to fill in a space with its aromatic foliage. The leaves release a pleasant scent when touched, which can deter rabbits and other mammals from nibbling the plants.
While generally low maintenance, be aware that powdery mildew can affect the foliage, especially in humid conditions. Also, during hot, dry weather, the lower leaves may fall off, but the plants typically bounce back with little trouble.
In moist, low-lying areas grow with plants such as swamp milkweed, blue vervain and great blue lobelia. For more plants that will grow well in rain-ready gardens, check out CVC’s Rain-Ready Plant List.
Main photo: Melanie Kramer