The flowers are long (up to 1½ inches) and narrow and markedly two-lipped the upper lip continues the corolla tube while the lower lip turns downward and is broader than the upper lip. Reddish broad bracts surround the flower clusters. The scarlet flowers are grouped in dense heads at the tips of the stems, sometimes with flowering heads developing from the stem axils below. The stems are 4-sided or square as are most members of the mint family. Leaves are opposite, 3 to 6 inches in length, coarsely toothed, glabrous to sparsely pubescent on the upper leaf surface and with spreading hairs on the lower leaf surface. Scarlet beebalm is a perennial herb that grows from shallow, slender, creeping rhizomes that grows 2 to 3½ feet tall. The species name didyma translates from the Latin meaning "in pairs" or "twins" referring to the stamens occurring in pairs. The genus name Monarda is in recognition of Nicolas Monardes, a Spanish physician, who authored an early herbal that introduced Europe to many of the plants from North America. The common name bergamont is derived from its fragrance that is similar to the fragrance of the bergamont orange. The common name Oswego tea refers to the Oswego native Americans living near the present day city of Oswego in upstate New York who taught early white settlers how to make a herbal tea from the plants leaves. The common name beebalm refers to the use of a resin derived from the plant that may be used for healing and soothing in particularly of bee stings. It is also known by the common names bergamot, Oswego tea, and crimson beebalm. Scarlet beebalm is aromatic herb a member of the mint family. Photo by Eugene Wofford, Univesity of Tennessee Herbarium. Photo by Jerry Drown, Univesity of Tennessee Herbarium. States are colored green where the species may be found. After the plant has gone dormant in fall, having died back to the ground, you can remove any dead parts to tidy up the garden.Range map of scarlet beebalm. When the entire stem is finished blooming you can pinch it back to the ground.Ĥ. Pinch or cut the stem back to just above the next flower bud. During the bloom phase, deadhead spent flowers to keep your bee balm blooming. If your bee balm grows tall again after this pruning, you can remove one-third of the height later.ģ. Alternatively, you can use a pair of hand pruners or shears to simply cut back the entire plant by half its height when it reaches 12 inches tall. Evenly distribute the pinching to ensure the blooms appear uniformly throughout your bee balm.Ģ. A week later, pinch another one-third, then pinch the last one-third of stems the third week. To do this, pinch back one-third of the stems in early spring. you can also stagger your pinching to encourage a longer display of flowers. Just use your fingertips, scissors or a pair of hand pruners to remove the first set of leaves at the top of the stem and just above the second set of leaves. When plants emerge in spring and have grown to about 12 inches in height you can pinch back the tips of the stems to encourage more branching below, which will ultimately give you and the birds and pollinating insects more flowers. Here's some bee balm pruning tips for you.ġ. Along with fuller growth, your bee balm will produce more flowers when properly pruned. Pruing encourages a fuller, lusher plant, which is aesthetically pleasing even after it is finished blooming. Bee balms require no pruning however pruning has several benefits, especially regarding the taller growing varieties. While the shorter dwarf varieties stay more compact on their own, some of the taller varieties tend to not grow as full if left to grow naturally. There are many varieties of bee balm available today that come in a range of flower colors and various sizes. Bee balm, scientifully known as Monarda, produces unique flowers that are a great nectar source for hummingbirds, butterflies and other beneficial pollinating insects.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |