The beautiful bee balm
Photo Source: Tatyana Mut/Shutterstock
Bee Balm is a beautiful native flower that comes in an array of colors. They can take the cold winters in New Jersey as well as the hot summers. With the right care, they will grow up to 18inches high and spread about 2ft wide. They are also fairly low maintenance as long as you avoid any mildew issues.
Bee Balm can bloom multiple times during a season and deer don’t typically eat them in warm months, which is nice! These flowers like full sun, but can tolerate shade. They are excellent for the edges of rain gardens. Bee Balm attracts butterfly, bees or hummingbird. Couple them with Blazing Stars, and you could have a symphony of beautiful animals to watch.
Mosquitoes are a common problem in our area, and clients always want to know how to get rid of them. Bee Balm is one part of the solution because they repel mosquitos. I love designing yards that use different types of mosquito-repelling plants (like lavender and basil) with Bee Balm. It adds ton of color to the yard. Mosquitoes thrive in soggy lawns that are treated with artificial fertilizers. Organic compost doesn’t have the same mosquito-inducing characteristics as toxic fertilizers. Healthy soils and native plants lead to complex ecosystems that make mosquitoes compete for space. So, plant some Bee Balm this year and get on the road to zero mosquitoes! Start managing your soggy lawn with a rain gardens too. Before you know it, the only things that will be flying around your yard will be butterflies, honeybees and hummingbirds!