Monarda punctata
Fun-looking spotted beebalm is a unique standout in any well-draining soil. Pale white to pinkish bracts (leaf-like structures that look like petals) circle the stems to form ladder-like layers, while small yellow flowers with maroon spots stand quietly above. Three to four rings of flowers and bracts usually encircle the top part of the stem, resulting in pagoda-like tiers. The plants grow 30 to 60 centimetres tall and bloom for four to six weeks in mid to late summer. The bracts, however, will continue to brighten your garden with their colour.
Beneficial Visitors
Frequent visitors such as butterflies and skippers know the flowers hold ample nectar, as do bumblebees, mining bees and others. Several moths, such as the raspberry pyrausta moth, will use beebalm as a host plant for their young. Mammals usually avoid it due to its fragrant, slightly minty, leaves.
Planting and Care Tips
Spotted beebalm naturally forms small clumps that require little water, except in extreme drought conditions. They are also salt-tolerant.
Grow in full to part sun in sandy, nutrient-poor soil. If growing from seed, start indoors four to six weeks before transplanting and press seeds lightly into the soil, avoiding covering as they need light to germinate. When planted in spring, spotted beebalm will usually bloom that season and will often return for one to four years. Sometimes it will self-seed nearby and seedlings that pop up can be left or easily transplanted.
Plant beebalm with other local perennials such as butterfly milkweed, foxglove beardtongue, prairie smoke and blue-eyed grass. A patch of little bluestem grasses and black-eyed susans would make a great backdrop, but avoid planting near more aggressive plants, including non-clump-forming grasses which will crowd out this distinctive plant.