Monarda, Bee Balm, Beebalm 'Cambridge Scarlet'

The Cambridge Scarlet Monarda puts on a splendid display in the middle border in early summer. Its bright red blooms are particularly at...Read Moretractive to hummingbirds. Two objections are frequently raised with respect to this cultivar. First, it is a bit thuggish. I have successfully controlled it into an area with a plastic barrier. Any runners that do escape are easily dealt with by my soil knife. Second, it is susceptible to powdery mildew. Until recently I had no solution for this. Then I discovered Neem Oil Spray. Early and frequently application has eliminated powdery mildew for me. With its beauty and ability to attract hummers, Cambridge Scarlet is a welcome addition to my border.

I planted 4 of these in a 6' diameter bed and they practically took over. apparently S. Indiana really agrees with them. I love the bees ...Read Moreand hummingbirds that are drawn to them and the rest of the garden.

I planted mine as 5 little plants I bought off of someone on Craigslist back in 2008 and they spread like wild fire and are growing great...Read More as of 2011. My plants do get up to 4 feet tall and sometimes a little taller. I do dead head cutting about 8 inches down from the flower heads after the first set of blooms which are big and bright start fading and I get a second bloom. I have read some cut them down to the ground but I figured in my area it is not a long growing season and may never see the second blooms appear. The flowers on the second bloom are smaller then the first set but still look good. This spring I took a shovel back in April and sliced under the plants like you would kinda do for sod when they were about 2inches tall and moved some to different areas. When I planted them in the new area I just scrapped the soil down to the height of the chunk flopped them down pushed on the plant soil and they took hold and are doing well... no transplant shock at all... I have already given some away taking out the plants in areas I do not want them in.. I still have people wanting some but since they are getting bigger I am waiting for them to be ready to plant them with my scraping method which seems to work.. They do attract bees so beware where you plant them along with hummingbirds and the hummingbird moths... They can take over so you have to either keep at them from spreading or putting a barrier in.. I have been just yanking them out. Check out my photos

This plant (bee-balm) has grown very well for me here in tallmadge Ohio (Northeast Ohio).zone 5-6