Oswego Tea (Monarda didyma)
Call it Oswego Tea or Scarlet Beebalm— there’s not mistaking the fragrant showy red flowers of Monarda didyma. A bloom that looks like fireworks provide a nectar feast for hummingbirds and other pollinators June thru September.
But they are edible so you can enjoy the flower feast too! Use the leaves and plumes in salads, tea & shortbread cookies! Why you’ll even find them in our Cottage Bouquets!
If that isn’t enough read below for more info about this wondrous native plant
Quick Plant Deets:
Perennial and self-sower.
Best in full sun but like you during hot Summers Monarda didyma appreciates afternoon shade and lots of space between plants for air circulation
Medium moisture in well drained soils; drought tolerant once established
Deer & rabbit resistance
Grows up to 4’’ tall. Spacing & 1-2’ between plants.
**note:
I get asked all the time about powdery mildew on Beebalm. Read below for my secret tips for Beebalm
Monardas are perennials and will easily self sow to create stunning patches for pollinators. Their sweet mint fragrance wafting on the air is delightful any day but especially on a hot Summer days.
Sunlight One of my patches is next to our enclosed porch so I can spy on the hummingbirds without them seeing me. This patch of Monarda didyma gets sunshine from dawn to mid-afternoon .Flowers here reach up to 2’ tall while those out back in full sun all day reach 4’ tall! Both are in moist rich soil thanks to composting leaves added when planted & that fall there in October.
Powdery mildew does not hurt the plant or flowers. Simply locate Beebalm in the garden where she may “catch the breeze in her hair’ and give 2’ spacing in between plants. As your patch grows transplant some of the seedlings into containers or other areas of your garden.
You can also get more air flow by picking the flowers! Beebalms will then branch and smaller plants will get more sun to grow. So you’ll get flushes of blooms for those hummingbirds all season long!
