Hold the Phone...It's Probably Just a Lamiaceae

Bee Balm, bergamot, horsemint, monarda, oswego tea—whatever you call these showy members of the Lamiaceae family, they are personal favorites of mine in the late-summer garden.

Native Americans used these relatives of mint both for healing compresses and for oral infections, as a treatment of headaches and even digestive problems. The pungent flavoring of the spiky leaves (supposedly similar to a blend of mint and oregano) was used by native peoples in cooking fowl. Varieties today are used as a common ingredient in mouthwash and in aromatherapy.

From a gardener’s perspective, monarda’s appearance is spectacular. The name itself comes from a book on North American plants by Nicholas Monardes in 1574. The flower heads are huge spiky things, in shades of an intense “carmine” red to purples and even white. The reddish varieties have more prominent and prolific blooms. Resemblance of horsemint to cannabis has resulted in some misplaced “weeding” by law enforcement, including an embarrassing drug-bust-that-wasn't in Corpus Christi in 2010 after a teenager phoned in a tip.

Plants in this family do best in full sun and moist conditions. I made the mistake once of locating some monarda in the shade, which set the plants scurrying via their mint-like roots toward the nearest sun (plus they didn't bloom much). Plants need aggressive pruning back in winter and dividing every 3 or so years to avoid mildew at the roots.

Once it gets going, monarda tends to naturalize and is a great attraction for wholesome insects, butterflies and hummingbirds. Tomatoes are said to taste better if grown in the vicinity of bee balm. Folklore, fabulous flowers and functional, plenty of good reasons why this plant family is a great perennial to have around.