Common Name: Horsemint, Spotted Bee Balm
Family: Lamiaceae
Native Range: Eastern North America and found as far west as Minnesota and New Mexico and as far south as Florida and Texas.
Zone: 5 to 10
Height: 10 to 40 inches
Spread: 15 to 25’
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Description: White, pink, or pinkish-red.
Sun: Full sun, tolerates light shade.
Water: Dry to Medium
Maintenance: Low
Attracts: Butterflies, honey bees, miner bees, bumble bees, plaster bees, and the karner blue butterfly (endangered).
As a long-blooming plant, bee balm provides nectar and pollen for much of the season. Foliage provides forage for some important moth caterpillars. Spotted Bee Balm is a perennial herb that grows 1 to 3 feet tall with 2 to 4 inch long leaves. It grows best in full sun and prefers dry, sandy soils. The plant is typically found in poor, dry soils, particularly along roadsides or along river banks. Like most mint family plants, spotted bee balm has a strong, square stem with opposite leaf arrangement. The leaves are lance shaped and are highly fragrant. The flowers are small compared to the plant, but the pink-white or violet-white blooms have small yellow tubes with unique purple spots. While some consider horsemint to be too “wild” for home garden use, it is an excellent addition to a pollinator friendly garden or a native plant restoration area. Its strong thyme-scented foliage is repugnant to many mammals, including deer, so it is a good plant to add in a garden plagued with deer problems. The plant can be purchased at specialty garden centers or online at Prairie Moon Nursery or Landscape Alternatives. Horsemint can also be propagated through division. Also, for ambitious gardeners, the plant can be started from seed.
Horticultural and Pollinator Information from:
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finders
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e290
Illinois Wildflowers
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/sp_balm.htm
Family: Lamiaceae
Native Range: Eastern North America and found as far west as Minnesota and New Mexico and as far south as Florida and Texas.
Zone: 5 to 10
Height: 10 to 40 inches
Spread: 15 to 25’
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Description: White, pink, or pinkish-red.
Sun: Full sun, tolerates light shade.
Water: Dry to Medium
Maintenance: Low
Attracts: Butterflies, honey bees, miner bees, bumble bees, plaster bees, and the karner blue butterfly (endangered).
As a long-blooming plant, bee balm provides nectar and pollen for much of the season. Foliage provides forage for some important moth caterpillars. Spotted Bee Balm is a perennial herb that grows 1 to 3 feet tall with 2 to 4 inch long leaves. It grows best in full sun and prefers dry, sandy soils. The plant is typically found in poor, dry soils, particularly along roadsides or along river banks. Like most mint family plants, spotted bee balm has a strong, square stem with opposite leaf arrangement. The leaves are lance shaped and are highly fragrant. The flowers are small compared to the plant, but the pink-white or violet-white blooms have small yellow tubes with unique purple spots. While some consider horsemint to be too “wild” for home garden use, it is an excellent addition to a pollinator friendly garden or a native plant restoration area. Its strong thyme-scented foliage is repugnant to many mammals, including deer, so it is a good plant to add in a garden plagued with deer problems. The plant can be purchased at specialty garden centers or online at Prairie Moon Nursery or Landscape Alternatives. Horsemint can also be propagated through division. Also, for ambitious gardeners, the plant can be started from seed.
Horticultural and Pollinator Information from:
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finders
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e290
Illinois Wildflowers
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/sp_balm.htm