What Is A Bee Balm Plant

After removing and discarding the dead centers, replant the healthy outer sections in fresh soil.If your monarda has been troubled with powdery mildew in the past, you may wish to check out other varieties.

Every three years or so, bee balm plants naturally start to bloom less because they get overcrowded. If you live in a particularly humid climate, your bee balm may have trouble blooming to its fullest potential.freestar.queue.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250-ATF-1");...

On the opposite end of the scale, they will develop root rot if conditions are too wet for long periods.Good news for Northern gardeners, Monarda is hardy to Zone 4, and grows well up to Zone 9.

And finally, there is, a 140 cm selection with large pinkish-purple flowers. Fistulosa genes, also won an AGM in 2001. The first cultivars of beebalm to win the coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit were in 1993 when 3 cultivars were selected.

Checking the plants weekly for wilting clusters allows for prompt removal of the older flowers so their seed production doesn't weaken the plant.Cutting back the entire bee balm after the first major flowering flush is over removes any remaining flower...

One way to accomplish this is to shear the plant two or three times every year so it doesn't bloom. Don't worry; cutting the plant back won't hurt it.If the plant blooms, snip off the flowers before they have a chance to go to seed.

You can also pick leaves from your indoor lemon balm to use in savory and sweet dishes, salads, cocktails, and just about anything else that can benefit from an herbal lemon flavor.freestar.queue.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250-ATF-1");...

A member of the mint family, lemon balm is easy to grow, even for newbie gardeners. If this is a concern, plant lemon balm in containers to reign in rampant growth. Some gardeners even claim that lemon balm helps keep weeds in check.Finding companion...

It grows as a bushy, leafy herb with a pleasant lemon smell and small white flowers.If not carefully controlled, lemon balm can quickly become invasive in the garden. Often, people mistakenly think that lemon balm is invasive due to its roots, like its...

While both are prone to mildew, they benefit from similar prevention strategies such as reduced summer fertilization. Both are appropriate choices for rain gardens as they grow well in moist soils and can tolerate occasional wet "feet." Moreover as an...

The chopped-up comb will drain its honey into the bottom bucket, and from there, you can bottle it. Once this takes place and the left-behind comb is relatively dry—time and gravity are your friends here—you're ready to bottle the strained honey.

Over a three-year period, from 2008 to 2011, researchers conducted fieldwork in 25 northern California almond orchards—some home to Honey bees exclusively, some home to Honey bees and wild bumblebee species, and some home to Honey bees and managed native...

The bee's long and hollow tongue, called a proboscis, is used to take in nectar, water and honey, and it curls up and retracts when not in use. The other set of eyes, called ocelli, primarily help the bee navigate the darkness of the hive.

Ancient cultures around the world knew years before modern scientists that honey possessed antimicrobial properties and was exceptional in its wound-healing abilities. It's low pH level and high sugar content contribute to its ability to encumber microbial...

Grow more pollinator-friendly plants: 12 Pollinator-Friendly Flowers You Can Eat 5 Reasons to Let White Clover Grow In Your Yard Attract Monarchs With These Medicinal Flowers 21 Plants That Feed Spring-Feverish Bees « More Dirt on Gardening » Tags bees...

Mortician bees are enlisted for the job. Mortician Bee Honeybees are notoriously nitpicky about keeping a clean house. Throughout a worker bee's lifespan, it can adopt several roles in the hive that keep the colony functioning smoothly.

And they're fantastic at their job! Native bees are more efficient pollinators than Honey bees: 250 female orchard mason bees ( Osmia lignaria ) can pollinate 1 acre of apple trees , a task that requires 15,000 to 20,000 European Honey bees.

The center “stem” rising up through the center of the flower is the female part, called the pistil. Covering her body are tiny hairs that collect pollen. She then visits another flower, where she transfers the pollen to the stigma of the next flower,...

Field bees foraging for water will typically find the sources closest to the hive. And truth be told, propolis isn't all bad. Within the same framework of conditions—same microclimate, same breed of bee, same hive management style—some colonies will...

A winter cluster of bees is about the size and shape of an American football. On this unusually brisk 15-degree-F night, my bees are snuggled tightly in their winter cluster, fighting the bitter windchill.

Bumblebees These easily recognizable bees visit a variety of crops and are active from early spring until late fall. Mason bees use mud or chewed-up leaves to separate the brood cells in their nest.

Those that are left huddle in the crooks of trees and hunt for bright red berries rather than filling the air with their joyful music. It is a hard time of year for a gardener. The constant hum that fills the air on a bee farm has fallen silent for a...

This includes establishing a multi-department Pollinator Health Task Force spearheaded by the Secretary of Agriculture and EPA administrator. It's also supposed to improve pollinator habitat at government-managed lands and facilities, along utility lines,...

The healthy honeybee colony functions as a buzzing, whirring, well-oiled machine. In a family unit of tens of thousands of individuals, they manage to share precise information, make big decisions that effect their entire colony, and support one another...

Find more beekeeping info on HobbyFarms.com: Month-by-month Beekeeping Video: 5 Signs of a Healthy Hive How to Help a Honey-bound Hive Infographic: The Buzz on Honey Bees « More of the Prescription Gardener» Tags beekeepers , Honey bees , pollen , prescription...

If you grow a wide variety of crops, that can be part of the solution.” Tree fruit, raspberries , peppers, strawberries and a diversity of crops provide a season-long wave of blooms and a lot of nectar.

He hasn't painted his hives since 2009, and the bees haven't complained so far. Beekeeper Michael Bush, author of The Practical Beekeeper: Beekeeping Naturally (X-Star Publishing Company, 2011), has a number of “lazy beekeeping” methods he uses at...