Attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds with deer resistant native plant Monarda

Many native plants are good to have in your garden but are not always the most impressive looking. Monarda is an exception to this belief since it produces an abundance of colorful flowers during midsummer when many gardens do not have much color.

There are a few different species of Monarda in North America with Monarda didyma being the most commonly grown species in gardens.

Dozens of so called “nativars” have been developed by plant breeders. A nativar is a native plant that has been bred to produce a cultivar, which means it is a cultivated version of the original wild type with improved characteristics such as disease residence, height and flower color.

Monarda’s common name, “bee balm,” refers to its use at one time to sooth bee stings rather than calm the bees themselves.

Its flowers produce plenty of nectar that attracts and feeds many beneficial insects, such as bumblebees, butterflies and other nectar-gathering insects.

The flower parts are quite long, which means any insect visiting the plant for nectar needs an extra-long proboscis to reach the nectar stored deep inside the flower. Others with shorter tongues and slender bodies, such as honeybees, are able to crawl into the flowers to the nectaries.

Monarda didyma also attracts hummingbirds, which are an important pollinator for the flowers, even more so than insects.

While the flowers have no scent, the leaves, on the other hand, have a distinct aroma similar to an orange citrus species called bergamot the ingredient that gives Earl Grey tea its flavor. Because of that, Monarda is sometimes called “wild bergamot.”

As the deer herd in some urban and suburban communities increases, gardens are being severely damaged by deer feeding on plants. As a result, people are looking for deer-resistant plants to add to their gardens. Monarda is quite resistant to deer browsing. In one garden I tend, the local deer walk through the garden every evening biting off pieces of all kinds of flowers but have never ever touched the Monarda or have shown the slightest interest in it.

Nowadays, because of the increasing interest in native plants, practically all plant nurseries and garden centers offer at least one or more cultivars of Monarda to brighten your garden in summer.