Bee Balm is a native North American flowering plant well-known for its attractive brightness; it is a summer-blooming perennial in pink, purple, white, lavender, and red colors. The flowering herb is necessary for wildlife, cottage, and veggie gardens. Bee Balm’s flowers are attractively bright in color, attracting many exciting visitors to its captivating magnet-like features. The spiky-hair bloom attracts bees, butterflies, songbirds, and hummingbirds to the landscape. Bee Balm as a member of the Mint family, is a pest repellent.
With its active growth, bee balm spreads through seeds and underground stolons. Monarda is a substitute for tea lovers. Bee balm’s fragrant leaves have a bergamot-orange oil scent used to traditionally flavor Earl Grey tea. The tea is effective in treating motion sickness and insomnia.
The boiling water produces a yellowish, flavorful tea when the tea bag is added.
Bee balm’s petals are edible. It is also used in salads and jellies.
Harvest needs:
- Bee Balms bloom during summer.
- The soil it requires is rich and moist with pH acidic or neutral.
- The plant type is herbaceous and perennial.
- Sun exposure requirement is complete or partial.
Why Does Bee Balm Need Companion Plants?
Bee balm needs companion planting, which includes well-growing, attractive plants. Bee balm companion plants care for bee balm by attracting pollinators and making your garden look even more delightful. This has an essence that naturally withstands insects. There is one common problem for a gardener when planting bee balm; it has a bad case of powdery mildew late in the season. Along with good air circulation, it’s best to locate bee balm plants whose scant foliage is covered from the view behind other plants.
10 Best Bee Balm Companion Plants
Here are the following lists of plants that complement bee balm:
1. Black-Eyed Susan
Black-Eyed Susan is a short-lived perennial. It grows in full sun, moist, well-drained soil with an acidic pH. It blooms in yellow, orange, and red.
Because of its minty scent, bee balm repels pests, including flies, beetles, and mosquitoes. It also makes a lot of nectar, which attracts bees so they can pollinate both in it and its nearby black-eyed Susan neighbors.
2. Phlox
Phlox is an excellent choice for new gardeners because of its low maintenance. When it blooms in contrast to the border plant of bee balm during the summer, it grows lovely shades of pink, scarlet, lavender, purple, orange, and white, cheering the eyes. These plants need well-drained soil with filtered sunlight to thrive. This plant attracts pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies, making bee balms good companion plants.
3. Roses
Roses are fantastic matchups for a bee balm since both plants grow best in the same conditions, which include direct sunlight and well-drained soil. Additionally, bee balm can keep pests away and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, immensely benefiting their neighboring plants.
4. Echinacea
Echinacea is a herbaceous perennial that belongs to the daisy family. The flowers of echinacea bloom in green color and slowly turn pinkish purple. It makes a great pair with bee balm.
They love to grow in adequate to partial sun, and their soil requirements are well-drained, sandy, and loamy soil with an acidic pH. It is drought-tolerant and has low watering needs. Further, it can grow well without fertilizer.
5. Coneflowers
Both bee balm along with coneflowers prefer well-drained soil with frequent water needs. Coneflowers are very simple to plant and cultivate as they tolerate drought well, which means bee balm can take a lot of nutrients. Moreover, avoid overwatering and keep the soil dry to prevent root rot. Coneflowers are an excellent addition to any landscape since they draw hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.
6. Tomato
Tomatoes should be planted behind bee balm to make the flowering visible. They are perennial and annual grown plants. Both tomatoes and bee balm belong to the mint family. Furthermore, the pollination carried by the bee balm will increase their yield. It improves the growth of tomatoes by improving the nutrition of the soil. Bee balm with the vegetative tomato plant is a good choice for a gardener since it adds up the landscape with tasty vegetables.
7. Squash
Bee Balm keeps pests at bay. By bringing bees to pollinate the squash plant, you won’t need to add pesticides. Squash are herbaceous plants with a bushy appearance. Bee balms are great companions since they deter pests that feed on squash plants.
8. Hostas
Hostas are plants that typically produce leaves, not flowers. However, your bee balm’s pink accents will look stunningly complemented by their thick, emerald-green foliage.
The appealing aroma of hostas is any gardner’s favorite. The expansive surface area of the hosta leaf draws beetles and other pests, favoring bee balms as pest-repellent properties that will keep those annoying pests away.
9. Daylilies
One of the prettier-looking plants comes in various colors, including yellow, orange, red, purple, and blue. They make your garden look admirable when planted next to bee balm. Growing daylilies with bee balm will eradicate pests; consequently, both bee balm and daylilies will benefit from a partnership. They both thrive in direct sunlight and need well-drained soil.
10. Cucumber
Cucumbers are the gardener’s choice, one who loves growing delicious vegetables. Pollinators like Bees and Butterflies are attracted towards the tiny yellow blossoms of bee balm, improving the growth of cucumbers by increasing the soil’s nutritional value and further promoting pollination.
Worst Companion Plants For Bee Balm
Below are the worst companion plants listed against bee balm:
1. Azaleas
Azaleas prefer acidic soil and partial shade, while bee balm thrives in full sun and prefers neutral to slightly acidic soil. Azalea with bee balm may be challenging to grow in the same area. Azaleas can attract some pollinators, although bees and other helpful insects don’t usually favor them. They don’t have benefits such as increased pollination, pest control, or soil improvement, making azaleas not a good choice for bee balm.
2. Oregano
The protruding plant oregano spreads swiftly by its underground rhizomes. That causes it to compete with Bee Balm for nutrients, water, and sunlight. If left unchecked, oregano can quickly overtake Bee Balm and other nearby plants in the garden. Due to this nature, oregano must fight with Bee Balm for sunshine, water, and nutrients. If not controlled, oregano might swiftly exhaust bee balm and other nearby plants in the garden. It even attracts pests such as aphids and spider mites, potentially harming Bee Balm and other nearby plants.
3. Brassicas
Brassicas release toxic chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of other plants, including Bee Balm. Also, brassicas can attract pests such as cabbage moths and flea beetles. Additionally, brassicas have different nutritional requirements than Bee Balm and may compete for soil nutrients, limiting one another’s growth and productivity.
4. Mint
Mint is not considered a good companion for Bee Balm as it is also a fast-growing plant that can quickly occupy your garden area. Both plants belong to the same family, Lamiaceae, having similar growth habits and nutritional requirements, making them more likely to compete for resources. Mint can potentially harm the growth and health of Bee Balm. Also, the mint’s strong aroma can attract pests such as aphids and spider mites, potentially damaging nearby plants, including Bee Balm.
What Are Bee Balm’s Growing Requirements?
Most bee balm plant types range from 2.5 to 4 feet tall, but dwarf forms, which grow less than 10 inches tall, are ideal for container gardening or fronting your flower border. Plucking bee balm flowers frequently to encourage the flocking of flowers. Encourage fresh blossoms by deadheading or removing dried flowers.
- Temperature: Dry atmospheric conditions and mildew and rust can become a problem in humid conditions, so providing good air circulation is a must.
- Sunlight: It needs 6 to more hours of full daylight.
- Fertilization: Early spring requires single-light feeding and less demand for fertilizer.
- Soil Health: They thrive in moist soil, slightly acidic.
- Water: A weekly irrigation will promote optimal blooming.
Grass Diseases And Pests
Some common fungi affecting bee balm:
- Powdery mildew, a fungus that forms an acceptable white or grey deposit on leaves, is the main issue with bee balm. Powdery mildew may harm various plants, but bee balm is more severely affected than others.
- The rust fungus changes the appearance of the leaves and can affect bee balm. If rust is severe, use fungicide sprays to control it.
Here are some common pests affecting bee balm:
- Aphids
- Spider mites
- Stock borers
Conclusion
Bee Balm is a perennial herb known for its brightly colored blossoms. It provides a lot of appeal to your yard. When consumed, it has health benefits such as a solid immune system and provides a substitute for tea lovers. This lovely floral plant may also help other plants grow and thrive when planted in companionship. Bee Balm keeps pests away and attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies, immensely benefitting their neighboring plants.