Do you want to attract hummingbirds to your yard? It is true that the tiny birds favor red flowers, and one of their favorites is Monarda (bee balm) ‘Jacob Cline’:
This perennial grows 3 to 4 feet tall and as much as 3 feet wide in sun or partial-shade. The fuzzy, tubular flowers are bright-red and appear for many weeks each summer.
Bee Balms sometimes need a little attention in the spring because over time they tend to die out in the center of the plant and wander outward. But it only takes a few minutes to dig up some of those wanderers and clump them together again.
Most bee balms suffer from powdery mildew at some point. You can help prevent this disease by thinning out some of the growing flower stalks to allow more air movement. And many people think powdery mildew is caused by too much moisture, but it’s actually the opposite. When bee balms are stressed due to lack of water they become more susceptible to powdery mildew. The disease just spreads easier and faster in moist conditions.
If red isn’t your favorite color, you’ll be happy to know that bee balms also come in shades of pink, purple and white, but the red flowers are still a hummingbird’s favorite.