Exploding Color and Bumble Bees with Bee Balm

There are four things that I love about Bee Balm for my flower garden.

First, it is easy to grow. It is sold almost everywhere, so it is easy to acquire. Years ago I began my garden in the only place I had, a few dry, barren strips of soil at the edge of a gravel alley. It only got a few hours of hot sun a day, and the environment was dry. I bought some bee balm, having no experience with it whatsoever, dug a hole, plopped it in, watered it, and waited. Later that summer it exploded into color.

Second, it is durable. In the alley, cars and trucks were always pushing over the plant when they parked, shielding it from the little sun that it got, battering it. When the landlord yelled at the grounds keeper about the "weeds," my poor plant was chopped down, only to grow right back up. The stems are strong and flexible. It was a real survivor, and, I might add, it still survives. When I moved I just dug it up and transplanted it to my new location. It is flourishing.

Third, did I say it? Excuse me, because bee balm spreads, not dramatically, but consistently and steadily, and I love that quality. I do not have to buy more of it; it multiplies and fills in the spaces in my flower garden. Also, it is easily divided. Just dig up a clump and separate, and then transplant wherever you want the new colony. I have never had a new planting fail.

Finally, bee balm is rich in color and, just as its name suggests, a haven for my favorite kind of bee, the big yellow bumble bees. When in bloom there are always a couple of them working over the blossoms, and they are so intent on the pollen, I kid you not, that I can pet them with my little finger while they work. They don't particularly like it, but they just move over a bit and keep at the flower. The contrast of the red/pink flowers on the yellow and black bee is dramatic and beautiful. Bee balm also attracts its share of butterflies.

My gardening philosophy is to get plants that take care of themselves, that come back year after year, and that are startling in their color and beauty. Bee balm has all of those qualifications.