Spotted Beebalm
Plant of the Week August 7, 2023
Spotted Beebalm (πππππππ ππ’πππ‘ππ‘π)
By: Lynne Forbragd, Anoka County Master Gardener
Spotted Beebalm is part of the mint family. It is native to Eastern Canada, the Eastern United States, and Northeastern Mexico. If youβre a gardener who likes things a bit disheveled, this plant will fit nicely into your landscape. It is a great pollinator for bees and butterflies and takes little effort once itβs established. Flowers are fragrant. They smell like oregano, making it unattractive to deer and rabbits.
This variety has many bracts on top of each other and spotted leaves. It grows one and a half to three feet high and 12 to 18 inches wide. Bloom time is early to mid-summer. The plants are usually yellow with maroon markings on the upper petals, but they can also be white or green. The bracts are showier and may be purple, pink, white, or yellow.
Spotted Beebalm grows in Zones 3-8 and prefers full to partial sun. It prefers dry, sandy soils and open prairies with a neutral soil pH of 6.8 to 7.2. This drought-tolerant plant is a short-lived perennial that will reseed itself once established. It will also spread through runners in the ground like other plants in the mint family. It is not considered invasive.
Like other types of bee balms, powdery mildew is common along with rust and leaf spot. Make sure to have good air circulation and sun for it to thrive.