
The distinctive "spiky hairdo" blooms are among their chief selling points, along with the plants' ability to attract bees, butterflies, songbirds, and hummingbirds to the garden landscape. But while the foliage is not particularly attractive, bee balms produce profuse hairy clusters of scarlet, pink, white, lavender, or purple tubular petals in terminal whorls, often with colored bracts, through a good portion of the summer. The flavor of the herb is concentrated by drying, so if you’re using fresh plant material, you’ll want. Both foliage and flowers are delicious fresh or dried.

The flavor of the leaves is slightly stronger than that of the flowers. Bee balm is a somewhat weedy plant growing 10 inches to 4 feet tall, with oval leaves that are downy on the undersides. Bee balm leaves can be used any way you’d use oregano and can be harvested any time during the growing season. Native to the prairies of North America, the aromatic leaves of bee balm have long been used by Native Americans as a spicy garnish or as a herbal tea to. didyma as the principal parent, but there is often genetic contribution from other species, as well. Not only the world gets its color from plants, but they are also the source of happiness in many people’s lives.
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It forms many unbranched, square stems with hairy, lanceolate leaves with serrated margins. A poultice of the leaves is used to treat snakebites, to stop bleeding, to relieve sore eyes, and to prevent wounds from getting infected. Jun Your Lemon Bee Balm Guide Its Uses and Maintenance Learn more about the Lemon Bee Balm Know the benefits and tips to maintain your Lemon Bee Balm plant. Most named varieties sold as "Monarda" are hybrids with M. Perennial bee balm grows as a bush and is partly stoloniferous. There are over 15 species and over 50 different cultivars of bee balm that grow both wild and in gardens. Of the 15 or so species within the genus, the varieties sold in garden centers are usually hybrids and cultivars based on three species. Bee balm is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Prized for its bright, vibrant flowers and long bloom season, bee balm comprises several species of native North American wildflower from the Monarda genus.

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