Monarda 'Sugar Buzz Grape Gum' (Bee Balm)

Sugar Buzz Grape Gum is a compact bee balm bred specifically to solve the two complaints that follow older monarda varieties everywhere: powdery mildew and sprawling size. The Sugar Buzz series keeps plants to a tidy two-foot mound with an improved disease resistance profile, while delivering the same intensely attractive flowers that make bee balm one of the summer border's best performers. Grape Gum produces rich purple-violet flower heads in the classic layered, thistle-like form of the genus, held on sturdy, upright stems with the square stems and aromatic foliage characteristic of all monardas.

The wildlife value of bee balm is exceptional and genuinely hard to overstate. Ruby-throated and other hummingbirds visit the tubular florets repeatedly throughout the day. Bumblebees, native bees, and sphinx moths work the flowers alongside them, making a blooming bee balm plant one of the most actively visited spots in a summer garden. The aromatic leaves, smelling of oregano and bergamot, are also used to make herbal tea and have a long history of use in Native American and folk herbal medicine.

Dividing every three to four years keeps the center vigorous and the flowering abundant.