It's hard to miss glorious bee balm in August. Now in full bloom with it's striking crownlike petals sitting on upright stems, these perennials are an arresting sight. Instantly recognised by their distinctive whorls of tubular petals in shades of vibrant scarlet, white, lilac to deepest carmine, they make a dazzling spectacle whether blooming centerstage in a mixed border, filling raised beds or showcased in a patio planter.
Knowing how to grow bee balm, or monarda didyma or bergamot (it's a plant of many names), is hugely rewarding, not least because it makes a fantastic cut flower and the nectar-rich blooms draws all types of bees, butterflies, moths and hummingbirds into the yard.
