Bee Balm, A Beautiful Plant For Your Garden
by Monica Resinger
http://homemakersjournal.com
Description and Growing Information
Bee Balm is a very pretty herb with a wonderful fruity,
minty aroma. The gorgeous tubular flowers, held like a crown
at the top of the 3-4 foot stems in mid and late summer come
in a lot of colors including red, pink and purple. On top of
all these qualities, it is a hardy perennial herb that will
grow in all zones. Bee Balm requires full sun or light shade
and fertile, light and moist soil. It is best propagated by
division or cuttings rather than seed because the seed isn't
always true to the parent plant.
In the Garden
Bee Balm is so pretty it should be included in your flower
beds. It will attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to
your garden. I know it's hard to welcome bees into the
garden, but remember that we need them to pollinate our
plants. Good partners for Bee Balm are Purple Coneflower
(Echinacea purpurea), Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), and
Lavender (Lavandula).
Uses
Tea. This is a wonderful tea herb. To make a cup of tea,
simply place tablespoon of fresh or one teaspoon of dried
Bee Balm leaves and/or flowers in a tea strainer or tea
spoon and pour one cup of boiling water over it. Allow it to
steep for ten minutes and bring the tea out. Sweeten if you
wish and enjoy.
Cut Flowers. The flowers make excellent cut flowers. Be sure
to cut the stems at an angle so they can take up water.
Culinary. Chop the leaves and flowers and add to fruit
salads for extra flavor. Garnish any type of salad with the
leaves and flowers.
Preserving
The leaves and flowers of Bee Balm can be dried and used for
potpourri or tea. To dry, bundle 8-10 stems with a rubber
band at the cut end and hang upside down until crisp to the
touch. Crush and store in airtight containers out of direct
sunlight.
©, 2004, Monica Resinger
About the Author:
Monica Resinger is the creator of 'Homemaker's Journal
E-Publications' where you will find many fun and informative
home and garden related e-books, tip sheets and how to sign
up for her FREE home and garden newsletter! Click here to
visit: http://homemakersjournal.com
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