Leading Lady Amethyst Bee Balm

Whats not to love about the Leading Lady Amethyst' Monarda? This flowering beauty has light amethyst flowers with contrasting dark spots on the oblong petals. The petals surround purple styles that provide additional color and texture. This plant is a Monarda hybrid, and it blooms from early to mid-summer. Also known as Bee Balm or Bergamot, this plant is clump-forming which means it keeps a relatively compact footprint and can easily be propagated through division. Bee Balm is native to North America, and it is known for fragrant flowers and foliage. This plant makes an excellent filler in containers and borders, it can be used in landscape and mass plantings, and it is also great to use as cut flowers. As the name Bee Balm implies, this plant attracts bees, along with hummingbirds and butterflies. Leading Lady Amethyst' Monarda grows as a perennial in USDA zones 4 through 8. Leading Lady Amethyst Bee Balm Care Monarda is adaptable and can handle part sun or full sun. This plant will thrive with at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight, and it will not mind if it receives more. Bee Balm has high water needs, so give the plant a drink before the soil dries out, and remember that container-grown plants will dry out sooner and need water more often. Monarda prefers rich, fertile soil with a pH of 6.5 to 8.0. Amend the soil with compost or manure when planting and top dress the soil with organic material in the spring. Feed the plant in the spring using a balanced fertilizer. Deadhead the plant, or remove spent flowers to promote more blooms. Once established plants reach 1 foot tall, you can pinch back new growth, encouraging the plants to spread out and cover a wider area. Trim back in the fall to prepare for winter. Leading Lady Amethyst Bee Balm Spacing Monarda is a short plant that grows 10 to 14 inches tall but can spread out to cover an area 22 to 28 inches wide. When planting, space plants 22 to 28 inches apart, so as they fill in, they will create a lush wall of flowers.