FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
This close-up a Leading Lady Lilac blossom looks like nature’s version of a firework. (Norman Winter/TNS)
On Gardening: Leading Lady headlines Year of the Monarda
By Norman Winter, Tribune News Service
Stop the presses and throw all of your preconceived notions about the monarda or bee balm out the door. I swear, I have had marigolds taller than these new monardas. 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.