Throw all of your preconceived notions about the monarda or bee balm out the door. I have more flowers now on my monardas than I normally get from an entire season’s bloom. I am talking about the Leading Lady series.
First know that 2021 is the National Garden Bureau’s Year of the Monarda. Whether you are talking Monarda didyma, Monarda fistulosa or Monarda punctata, they are all U.S. natives. That means these new hybrids coming to us from Proven Winners are native DNA.
My past Monardas have been tall, I might say even a little gangly by mid-season, blooms here and there, yet I was still in love with them. Never in my wildest dreams did I conceive of Monarda that would be 14-inches tall with a 28-inch spread. Never did I think we would have a Monarda that you would use in front of the border in combinations.