Monarda punctata - Spotted Bee Balm

Sizes available: Landscape plug (available 5/14/26), 6.00 ea or 10 for 48.00, pre-orders welcome, mix and match okay

Basics: zones 3-9, 24" x 8", full sun to part sun, summer-blooming in shades of pale pink and yellow with maroon spots, likes a sandy and well-drained soil and is moderately drought tolerant.

Common names: Spotted Beebalm, Spotted Horsemint, Dotted Mint

Family: Lamiaceae

Origin/Distribution: There are isolated populations in California, but the main range is Vermont west to Minnesota and south to Texas and New Mexico. Native in parts of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, but not native to Maine.

Habitat: Fields, plains, prairie, savanna, pasture, meadow: open and grassy

More: Beloved by numerous pollinators, this is a short-lived perennial or biennial with strong self-seeding tendencies. It can also spread by rhizome. Unfortunately, this has not happened at my place (yet). That could be because I do not use supplemental water. Either way, who wouldn't want more of these magical, sci-fi flowers in the garden and the vase? The showy, pink-tinged bracts make it seem like this plant blooms forever. It is very aromatic, and has been used medicinally. Deer and rabbit resistant as is usual with the mint family. Larval host for the Gray Marvel, Anterastria teratophora, and the Generous Pyrausta Moth, Pyrausta generosa, both of which are native to Maine and also feed on Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa. 

Source: Landscape plugs from New Moon Nursery

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons