Is Bee Balm deer resistant?
Monarda didyma
About Bee Balm
Mint family, strongly aromatic, and a magnet for hummingbirds. Deer browse it lightly at worst. Two things to plan for. It spreads by runners like the mint it is related to, so it will travel through a border and needs lifting and reducing every couple of years. And it is prone to powdery mildew, which turns the foliage grey and ugly by August in humid summers. Mildew is mostly solvable at the point of purchase. Cultivars bred for resistance hold up far better than the species, and giving the plant real air movement rather than cramming it into the middle of a packed border does more than any spray. Cutting a third of the stems out at the base in June opens it up and helps.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Low
- Salt
- Low
- Pollinators
- High
- Rain gardens
- Attracts birds
What to plant it with
- Switchgrass
Prairie pairing. Grass gives winter structure, bee balm gives mid-summer colour and pollinators.
Similar to Bee Balm
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
Where Bee Balm grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesotanative
- Missourinative
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgianative
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregonnative
- Washingtonnative
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermontnative
- Mainenative
- Rhode Island
- Delawarenative
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolinanative
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowanative
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 27 US states in total.
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Every list Bee Balm belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Bee Balm
- Is Bee Balm deer resistant?
- Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Bee Balm grow in?
- Bee Balm is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Bee Balm grow in shade?
- Yes. Bee Balm tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Bee Balm get?
- Mature height is roughly 24–48 in. Growth rate is fast.
- When does Bee Balm bloom?
- Bee Balm flowers from July–September.