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This is the perfume of March: rain, loam, feathers, mint. Lisa Kleypas.

You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming. Pablo Neruda.

The first blooms of spring always make my heart sing. S. Brown.

Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm. John Muir.

A perfect spring day! Enjoy it while it lasts because you dont know whats coming. Marty Rubin.

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world." Virgil A. Kraft.

Monarda is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Common names include bergamot, bee balm, horsemint and oswego tea. It has a long history of being used as a medicinal herb, and as the common name bee balm implies, it has also been used to soothe bee stings.

Monardo consists of multiple species, most of which are hardy perennials and all of which are native to certain regions of North America. Summertime flowering on all these species is quite attractive to humans and pollinators.

The Oswego Indian tribe used this plant to make an herbal tea and they taught the early American settlers how to do so as well.

This just happened to come in very handy following the Boston Tea Party. As the settlers revolted against the British tax on tea, they drank tea made from Monarda instead, thus thumbing their noses at the British and their taxes.

Monarda punctata (horsemint or dotted mint) is somewhat of an unruly native prairie plant characterized by tall unbranched stems topped with rounded clusters of pink or lavender tubular flowers. The stacked combination of speckled flowers and colorful bracts make this distinctive and unusual.

Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) is one of the species commonly used for medicinal purposes. Being highly aromatic with showy lavender-pink flowers, it is also used as a honey plant.

Monarda didyma (scarlet bee balm) has long been cherished for not only its use for tea but also its ornamental value. Its bright scarlet/red flowers are still a part of many ongoing breeding programs with Monarda.

It has been a long road from these native species of Monarda to the prized ornamental cultivars available today. Some of the first hybrids of M. didyma x M. fistulosa produced vibrant flower colors with a more well-behaved plant, but they continued to be plagued by their native attributes of being highly susceptible to mildew, somewhat tall and leggy and had a tendency to spread by rhizomes.

Modern breeding has introduced many new cultivars that are much more suitable in the ornamental landscape. Along with many stand-alone varieties with notable attributes of their own, "Marshalls Delight" received Award of Merit from Royal Horticultural Society, "Gardenview Scarlet" was selected by the Chicago Botanic Garden as an outstanding perennial for the Midwest, and Petite Delight was the first of its kind dwarf introduction of monarda at just 12-15 inches tall.

There are several newer Monarda with formidable attributes including Monarda didyma Grand is from the Morden Breeding Program in Manitoba and an exceptionally hardy Monarda. Characterized by a profusion of bright flowers atop mid-sized plants, these also offer very good mildew resistance.

The Sugar Buzz Monardas form a solid dome of color. The 2- to 2 1/2-inches flowers top off the strong stems and deep green foliage of this series. Medium in height at around 20 inches, the eight colors in this series display above-average mildew resistance and stay well contained in the garden.

Balmy Monardas have relatively large flowers on a fully compact plant. Balmy comes in at just 10-12 inches with exceptional mildew resistance and deep green foliage. They are dwarf and mounded, so bring new uses to the landscape.

While some Monarda species come from seed, most newer selections are vegetatively propagated and are quite easy to care for in rich and organic, or just average soils. Monarda will die back to the ground in colder climates. They can then be cut back to one- to two-inch stems. Its also a good idea to remove dead leaves and stems from the area, especially if mildew has been observed on the foliage. As Monarda emerges from the roots/rhizomes in the spring, they may be pinched to create a bushier habit if desired.

In the full sun, they will produce a plethora of brilliant flowers beginning in mid-summer. Pair these with Achillea, Agastache or Phlox for a smooth transition of garden color into fall. As flowers fade, deadheading is beneficial to encourage additional flowering.The plant is deer and rabbit resistant.

Monarda brings a lot of charm and interest to the garden. Mass plantings in naturalized areas are a showstopper and create a high-traffic area for butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. Enjoy these as specimen plants paired with your favorite summer-into-fall bloomers in the middle of the garden.

When they are in full flower (with a few to spare), you can pick a few flowers and leaves to make a batch of iced bee balm tea and watch the garden grow. Or dry some and save it for hot Oswego tea on a cold winters night! This fact sheet is provided as an educational service of the National Garden Bureau and their link is https://ngb.org/year-of-the-monarda.

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, Who lives in you. Romans 8:11.

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10.

Seagle is a Sustainability Verifier, Golf Environment Organization (Scotland), Agronomist and Horticulturalist, CSI: Seagle (Consulting Services International) LLC, Professor Emeritus and Honorary Alumnus (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College), Distinguished Professor for Teaching and Learning (University System of Georgia) and Short Term Missionary (Heritage Church, Moultrie). Direct inquiries to csi_seagle @yahoo.com.

Excerpt from:
SEAGLE: In the Year of the Monarda | Opinion | tiftongazette.com - Tifton Gazette