Monarda, planting and care. Monarda double 'Jacob Klein', red Special tea with bergamot aroma

Monarda has a long flowering period, which makes it very popular. In addition, it is capable of releasing large number nectar. The use of faded heads is possible not only for decorative purposes. They also attract some animals. For example, birds eat seeds and destroy insects that are in flowers.

The best time to plant seedlings is after the last frost. Normal temperature for the growth of monarda is 20 degrees and above. The distance between flowers should be from 30 cm, and between rows of plants - from 60 cm. During planting, it is necessary to water the flowers.

The culture has good resistance to various fungal diseases. As it grows, dense thickets appear with a pleasant aroma. Moistened soils are best suited for planting, but they must be open to the sun. Stagnant water is also harmful to the plant.

Agricultural technology

Is light-loving plant, but can sometimes grow in partial shade. It is necessary to plant in an area protected from wind, which can cause the leaves to bend.

Any soil is suitable for monarda, but it grows best on calcareous soils. Swampy soils not suitable for this plant. When planting on infertile land, it is recommended to regularly feed the monarda complex using various fertilizers.

In the autumn, the area with the plant must be dug up and weeds must be removed from it. Fertilizers such as superphosphate, potassium salt, manure and compost are also required.

When growing monarda on acidic soils, high-quality liming is required. Approximately 40 g of lime must be added per cubic meter of surface. Nitrogen fertilizers They are used for tillage in the spring. The distance between two rows of plants should be at least 60 cm.

During drought, it is necessary to water the monarda and mulch it using humus and peat.

For normal growth, the plant requires large amounts of fertilizer. In the autumn, you can prune it. In addition, it is recommended to divide the bush every four years. The peculiarity of this culture is its resistance to diseases and low temperatures.

Widely used for landscaping areas. Plantings are carried out in gardens. Monarda looks good next to other perennials and grasses, for example, heliopsis and sapling.

Monarda has many names: Indian nettle, bee balm, wild bergamot, horsemint, golden lemon balm. And how diverse and interesting its names are, so varied are the requirements for the growing conditions of its various species. Undemanding and winter-hardy double monarda (Monarda didyma), common in the east North America, prefers nutritious, fresh soil, sunny or slightly shaded location. From July to September, bright red flowers decorate the garden with their exotic appearance and fill it with the cool aroma of mint and citrus. Monarda duplicata likes to be fertilized annually with fresh compost.

Monarda fistulosa, which came to us from Mexico and California, thrives in dry, sandy soils and does not require additional fertilizers. Monarda fistulata is taller and more branched compared to Monarda duplicata, and the lilac, pink and whitish flowers are smaller. IN garden centers Most often they offer hybrids of Monarda fistulata and Monarda duplicata, which are absolutely not demanding on growing conditions. But still, before purchasing, you should pay attention to the label: despite the fact that this is a hybrid plant, basically one of the two species predominates in it and the growing conditions should be oriented towards it. As a rule, monarda hybrids do not tolerate stagnant water and winter moisture, so clay soil you should add some sand or gravel.

The next, no less attractive species is the lemon monarda (Monarda citriodora) native to North America. This is the only annual species in the genus Monarda. From July until frost, the plant blooms profusely with dark lilac and light purple flowers, collected in inflorescences similar to candelabra. During flowering, lemon monarda envelops the garden with a pleasant lemon aroma. She needs to be given a sunny area in the garden with dry sandy soil. The hybrid monarda (Monarda fistulosa x tetraploid) will bloom well only in nutritious and fresh soil and exude its characteristic intense and beloved aroma of roses.

Monarda punctata is grown not so much for its inconspicuous yellowish flowers with brown spots, but for the beautiful pink leaves surrounding the inflorescences. Plants of this species prefer areas well lit by bright sun and well-drained soil.

Special tea with bergamot aroma

A real delight for all the senses is the lemony, slightly spicy aroma of Monarda didyma leaves. The Oswego Indians also brewed delicious tea from the leaves of this aromatic plant. Monarda fistulosa has a spicy aroma reminiscent of marjoram. The plant exhibits all its medicinal power in the treatment of colds, bronchitis and nausea. To date, the question of whether they have hybrid varieties medicinal properties.

Monarda leaves - irreplaceable helpers housewives in the kitchen. They are used like thyme - one of the main aromatic herbs French cuisine. All types of monarda are great for flavoring soups, making tea, and seasoning them meat dishes, potpourri, since even when dry they retain their color and smell. Fresh leaves are collected all summer. It is better to collect leaves and flowers for drying from old plants.

Monarda with its sweet nectar attracts many bumblebees, bees and butterflies to the garden, while repelling it with its rich aroma harmful insects. Tip: Monarda has a beneficial effect on the growth, development, taste and aroma of tomatoes, therefore it is excellent for them as a precursor crop.

Location in the garden

Monarda grows well in open sunny areas, and feels good in the shade. Flower wild prairie Warmth is needed.

Monarda, reaching from 80 to 120 cm in height, looks great in group plantings and is suitable for creating borders and mixborders. Its red, purple, pink, yellowish and white flowers are combined with Echinacea (Acanthus), Lythrum salicaria, Physostegia virginiana and cereal herbs create a real “prairie” flower garden.

Monarda and acanthus

To add shine to the garden natural style, plant peach bells (Campanula persicifolia), white astilbe (Astilbe x arendsii), iris (Iris) and black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) near the monarda. Since all types of monarda tolerate light shade well, it can be safely grown under the canopy of trees and large shrubs with a sparse openwork crown.

Monarda in the company of white loosestrife

Most varieties, about one meter high, are placed in the center of the flower garden. But there are also low-growing varieties monardas, reaching only 30-60 cm, which will perfectly decorate the foreground of the flower garden, as well as tall ones, creating a magnificent flowering scene in the background.

Tall monarda "Jacob Klein"

No drought!

Both people and plants suffer from heat and drought. Monarda is no exception. During the dry period, the prairie beauty should be watered, otherwise conditions favorable for development will be created. powdery mildew. It is interesting that non-red varieties of monarda tolerate drought better than fiery red varieties (since they have a different origin: red varieties originated from double monarda, all others - from monarda fistula).

Monarda "Schneewittchen"

Monarda Endurance

Monarda is recommended to be grown in soil rich in nutrients. A balanced fertilizer also gives good results. After all, the stronger the plant, the better and longer it will be able to resist its main disease - powdery mildew. Therefore, it is advisable to regularly dig up monarda bushes, divide them and replant them in new, nutritious soil. At the same time, strong outer shoots of old plants are planted, and weak, inner shoots are thrown away. Monardas generally grow in width in such a way that in the middle of the bush the shoots remain weak, while strong shoots grow around the circumference of the bush. “Bald spots” in the center of lush thickets will not decorate the flower garden at all. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly divide monarda bushes.

Monarda Cambridge Scarlet"

Enemy number one: powdery mildew

The causative agent of monarda powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearum) is a fungus that loves temperature changes and frequent alternations between periods of dryness and humidity. Appears first on the top of the leaves white coating, which over time takes on a dirty brown color. Because of this, the plant looks unattractive, and if it is severely damaged, it dies.

The best treatment is prevention. The correct location, sufficient distance between plants, pruning after flowering and regular sufficient watering - all this will help prevent monarda from becoming infected with such an unpleasant disease. When purchasing, you should pay attention to varieties that are more resistant to disease. These include 'Aquarius' with light purple flowers, 'Fishes' with its striking salmon-colored wild flowers, or the purple cultivar 'Purple Ann'.

Monarda "Aquarius"

If, despite observing all the precautions, you still were not able to protect your monarda from powdery mildew, do not despair. The plant will benefit from a wonderful biological miracle weapon: milk! Australian researchers have proven that lactic acid bacteria contained in milk provide good results in the fight against powdery mildew, as well as in preventing re-infection. In addition, the sodium phosphate contained enhances the plant's defenses. For optimal effect, spray the affected monarda bushes with a mixture of water and milk twice a week (take 1/8 liter of milk for 1 liter of water).

Monarda "Cambridge Scarlet" and Monarda "Fishes"

Translation: Lesya V.
especially for the Internet portal
garden center "Your Garden"

Plant monarda (lat. Monarda) represents a genus of perennial and annual herbs of the Lamiaceae or Lamiaceae family, which includes about 20 species native to North America, where they grow from Canada to Mexico. The monarda flower was named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of Nicolas Monardes, a Spanish doctor and botanist who published a book in 1574 describing the plants of America. Monardes himself called the Monarda virginian soul or Canadian oregano. In Europe, monarda began to be grown as an essential oil crop, and by 19th century it has become widely known throughout the world under the names bergamot, lemon balm or American lemon balm.

Listen to the article

Planting and caring for monarda (in brief)

• Landing: sowing seeds in the ground - in the snow in February or autumn, immediately after collecting the seeds.
• Bloom: from July to the end of September.
• Lighting: bright sun or partial shade.
• Soil: light calcareous soils.
• Watering: frequent but moderate, daily and abundant in dry weather.
• Feeding: from mid-May to early autumn once every two weeks with liquid mullein (1:10) or complex mineral fertilizers.
• Reproduction: by cuttings or dividing bushes that have reached three to four years of age. Only species monarda can be propagated by seed.
• Pests: aphids or weevils.
• Diseases: powdery mildew, rust, tobacco mosaic virus.

Read more about growing monarda below.

Monarda flower - description

So, monarda-bergamot is a perennial or annual rhizomatous plant with straight or branched stems up to one and a half meters high, with oblong-lanceolate, straight, toothed and, often, fragrant leaves, as well as small, fragrant two-lipped flowers of white, purple, red, yellowish color , sometimes even speckled, collected in dense capitate or racemose inflorescences up to 6-7 cm in diameter, which are most often located on the stem one above the other. The fruit of the monarda is a nut; the seeds that ripen in it remain viable for three years.

Monarda is grown in one area for 5-7 years. Monarda attracts not only the color of its flowers, but also its amazing aromas. It is used as a spice in cooking, added to tea, and is also good as a honey plant.

Growing monarda from seeds

Sowing monarda

In the southern regions, monarda seeds are sown directly into the ground on fine days in February, where they remain for two cold months. natural stratification, as a result of which friendly, strong shoots appear already in April, which will only need to be thinned out.

If there is snow on the site, remove it, cover the area with film so that the ground warms up, then loosen the soil by adding top layer a little sand and, mixing the seeds with sand in a ratio of 1:4, sow them. The seeds are also lightly covered with sand on top. The planting depth should be no more than 2.5 cm. You can sow in the ground in the fall, immediately after collecting the seeds, and in the spring you just prick up the seedlings, then in a year the grown and strengthened bushes will bloom. Monarda emerges very slowly.

Monarda seedlings

However, most often monarda is grown seedling method. In order to obtain monarda seedlings by spring, they are sown in January or February in boxes with soil for vegetable crops, covering the seeds to 2-2.5 cm, and place them in a greenhouse, maintaining the temperature under the film at least 20 ºC. Shoots appear after three weeks, and after another three weeks the seedlings are planted in containers according to a 3x3 or 4x4 pattern to increase the feeding area for them.

Planting monarda

When to plant monarda

Planting and caring for monarda open ground are not difficult. Monarda prefers to grow in areas protected from the wind. sunny place, although it feels good in partial shade. It is not picky about soils, but grows best in light, calcareous soils, and in raw and acidic soil Monarda develops poorly. It is best to plant monarda in the spring, but the area for it is prepared in the fall: they dig it up, clear it of weeds, and add 2-3 kg of peat, manure or compost, 20-30 g of potassium salt, 40-50 g of superphosphate per m². and 40 g of lime.

In the spring, before planting, 20-30 g of nitrogen fertilizer is added to the soil for each m².

How to plant monarda

Two months after the emergence of seedlings, when they form three pairs of leaves, the seedlings are planted in a prepared area at a distance of at least 60 cm from each other. Planting of monarda is completed with abundant watering. Lungs spring frosts The seedlings tolerate up to -5 ºC painlessly. Monarda from seeds usually blooms only after a year, but with the seedling method, the most developed specimens can bloom already this year.

Caring for monarda in the garden

How to care for monarda

Monarda needs frequent, but moderate watering, especially in the hot season, otherwise there is a danger of the plant becoming infected with powdery mildew. During peak heat, daily watering may be necessary. In addition, in hot and dry summers it is necessary to mulch the area with monarda leaf humus or peat. Regularly loosen the soil around the monarda bushes and remove weeds.

Growing monarda also involves feeding the plant with granulated Kemira or Agricola every two weeks from mid-May to early autumn. Monarda also reacts well to organic matter, for example, mullein diluted in a ratio of 1:10. For preventive purposes, in spring and autumn, monarda is treated with Fundazol and copper sulfate.

Reproduction of monarda

Since varietal characteristics are not preserved when growing monarda from seeds, it is most reliable to propagate varietal and species monarda by dividing three- to four-year-old bushes. It is better to do this in April, when the soil warms up well, or in early autumn. The bush is dug up, the roots are cleared from the ground under running water, divided into approximately equal parts, the sections are treated with crushed coal and the sections are planted in holes prepared in advance.

Be prepared for the fact that you will have to replant and divide the bush often, since literally in two or three years the divisions you planted will grow up to a meter in diameter.

Monarda is also propagated using cuttings 8-10 cm long, which are cut from green shoots before flowering begins. The lower leaves are removed from the cuttings, the upper ones are shortened by a third. Then the cuttings are planted in a box with moist coarse river sand, covered with agril on top and placed in dark place. Rooting usually occurs within two to three weeks. In the second half of summer, the cuttings are planted in a permanent place.

Monarda pests and diseases

Monarda is a plant that is resistant to any troubles, but with a chronic lack of water it can develop powdery mildew. To avoid this, strictly follow the irrigation regime and be sure to mulch the soil in the area so that moisture does not evaporate from the soil so quickly.

Sometimes monarda becomes infected with the tobacco mosaic virus or rust, a weevil can settle on it, but a developed and well-groomed monarda does not suffer from anything, and pests are repelled by the aroma of monarda and the content of essential oils in its roots.

Monarda after flowering

How and when to collect monarda seeds

Monarda seeds ripen into nuts in late August or early September. If you have a desire to do selection work, you can collect them and sow them immediately or grow seedlings that can be planted in the ground in the spring. Or you can save the seeds in order to sow in a year or two, since the germination period of monarda seeds is proper storage three years. We remind you that varietal monarda seeds do not retain their parental properties; only species plants are grown generatively.

Preparing Monarda for winter

If you don't need monarda seeds, leave the fruits on the bushes - they will be very useful to hungry birds in the fall. The remains of annual monarda species are disposed of, and the site is prepared for a crop that will be grown in next year. Monarda is a perennial winter-hardy, it can withstand frosts down to -25 ºC, but if you are afraid that the winter will be not only cold, but also snowless, insulate the area with a thick layer of mulch or cover it with spruce branches.

Types and varieties of monarda

Annual species of monarda grown in culture include:

Lemon monarda, or citrus fruit (Monarda citriodora)

The only thing annual plant in the genus from 15 to 95 cm in height with lanceolate leaves and inflorescences of 5-7 whorls with small light or dark lilac flowers, the leaves, flowers and stems of which contain essential oil with the same components as basil, lemon balm and mint, and this allows lemon monarda to be used not only as an ornamental, but also as a spice plant;

Monarda hybrid Lambada (Monarda lambada)

Developed in the Netherlands from a cross between several species of the Citriodora group, the young leaves of which, like those of the citrus monarda, have a strong lemon aroma;

Monarda punctata

Or horsemint , grown mostly not for its flowers, but for the beautiful, bright, salmon-colored leaves that surround the inflorescences. The plant reaches a height of 80 cm.

Perennial monarda is represented in culture by the following species:

Double Monarda (Monarda didyma)

Growing in wildlife in the Great Lakes region. It is a herbaceous perennial, reaching a height of 80 cm, with a horizontal growing rhizome and tetrahedral leafy erect stems. Its leaves are opposite, short-petioled, oval, toothed, pointed at the end, pubescent, green, up to 12 cm long, with reddish stipules. The flowers are small, purple or lilac color, collected in dense terminal capitate inflorescences up to 6 cm in diameter. Large leaf-shaped bracts of almost the same shade as the flowers. In culture since 1656.

Monarda fistulosa, or tubular (Monarda fistulosa)

It grows naturally in the forests of eastern North America; in Europe it is grown mainly as an aromatic herb. It is a perennial with numerous stems reaching a height of 65 to 120 cm, with simple toothed leaves covered with fine hairs. The flowers of Monarda fistula are lilac, small, united in false whorls surrounded by reddish stipules and collected in spherical capitate inflorescences. Each peduncle bears from five to nine inflorescences with a diameter of 5 to 7 cm.

This species has been in culture since 1637. There is a dwarf form of Monarda victoria, bred in Russia.

Monarda hybrid (Monarda x hybrida)

Combines forms and varieties bred in Germany, Great Britain and the USA with the participation of Monarda double and Monarda fistulata. These are plants up to 100 cm high with flowers of various colors, for example:

• violet-purple: Blaustrumpf, Blue Stocking;
• purple: Fisheye, Zinta-Zinta, Pony;
• purple: Sunset, Prairie Glow, Cardinal;
• red: Petite Delight, Cambridge Scarlett, Balance, Adam, Squaw, Mahogeny;
• pink: Craitley Pink, Croftway Pink, Rose Queen;
• white: Snow Maiden, Snow White, Schneewithchen;
• burgundy: Prairienacht, Maroon Moldova;
• lavender: Elsise Lavende.

The Panorama cultivar population consists of plants with variously colored flowers - purple, white, burgundy, pink, scarlet and crimson.

Properties of monarda

Medicinal properties of monarda

Monarda parts contain a very high content of essential oils, vitamins C, B1 and B2 and other biologically active elements, which allows it to be widely used in homeopathy. The most valuable product from monarda is an essential oil that has a broad-spectrum bactericidal effect, as well as reproductive, anti-stress, anti-anemic and antioxidant properties. Regular use of the oil allows you to clear the aorta of atherosclerotic plaques, treats radiation sickness, flu and colds, strengthens the immune system and supports the body after chemotherapy.

The use of monarda is indicated for otitis media, cystitis, sinusitis, pneumonia and digestive disorders. Monarda helps with diseases of the oral cavity, headaches, and relieves foot and nail fungus. The plant is also in demand in cosmetology - it is included in creams for mature skin and in preparations for the care of oily and acne-prone skin.

Not only monarda essential oil is popular, but also its leaves, which are added to tea, salads and soups. Monarda greens are used as side dishes for fish and vegetable dishes.

Monarda - contraindications

Monarda is one of the most useful plants, however, when excessive consumption even it can cause harm to health. Monarda is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, children under 5 years of age, and not only is it undesirable indoor application, but also using it as a raw material for an aroma lamp.

55 5 1 4.3272727272727 Rating 4.33 (55 votes)

After this article they usually read

Monarda is beautiful herbaceous plant With variegated flowers and a pleasant citrus aroma. With such a crop you can not only decorate a flowerbed or flower garden, but also use it as medicine or a culinary ingredient. Learn about planting monarda and caring for it in open ground from our article.