Marvelous Monardas! These lovely and quite fragrant members of the mint family are a must for any perennial garden, and quite popular these days. We'll look at two of the five species native to New York State: Monarda didyma and Monarda fistulosa. Monarda didyma, known as Beebalm is the more moisture and shade tolerant of the two we're looking at. With its bright red flowers it should be called Hummingbirdbalm instead of Beebalm but that's more of a mouthful.

Monarda fistulosa or Wild Bergamot gets its common name from the likeness of its flavor and scent to that of the bitter citrus fruit called Bergamot used to flavor Earl Grey tea. It is only slightly less showy than M. didyma, but its extreme drought tolerance makes up for that in scores.