- Monarda x ‘Leading Lady Plum’ PP#26,447
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a to 8b
- Calling all pollinators! Growing only 1 foot tall, ‘Leading Lady Plum’ bee balm has magenta-purple, early summer flowers that highlight the front of your perennial border, bringing in the honeybees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Its savory-scented, dense, dark green foliage is naturally deer-resistant. It is highly adaptable to growing in moist or dry soils, full sun or part-shade. Use it as a thriller in containers along with creeping Jenny as the spiller.
- Need a friend for this plant? Check out these great additions:
- ‘Happy Returns’ Daylily
- ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ Echinacea, Coneflower
- Not quite what you are looking for? Check out these great products!
- ‘Pardon My Cerise’ Bee Balm, Bergamot
- ‘Pardon My Purple’ Bee Balm, Bergamot
- Perennials ... Seasonal Color
- Growth Size: Low Plant - 10 to 14 inches tall, 22 to 28 inches wide
- Growth Habit: Compact - Upright
- Features: Pollenizer, Easy To Grow
- Tolerates Wide Range of Growing Conditions, Deer Resistant, Deer Resistant, Water once a week in extreme heat
- Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies, Bees, Bees, Beneficial Insects
- Garden Ideas:
- Cottage, Wildlife
- Flower features: Showy Flowers
- Magenta-purple flowers that bloom in summer
- Foliage type and color: Herbaceous, Dark Green
- Landscape Uses: Beds, Naturalizing
- Accent, Border, Container
- ‘Leading Lady Plum’ Bee Balm is a Moderate maintenance plant
- Growth Size: Low Plant - 10 to 14 inches tall, 22 to 28 inches wide
- Growth Rate: Medium
- Spacing: 1-2 ft apart
- Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Watering: Average
- Soil Types: Slightly Acidic to Neutral Moist, well-drained Enriched with organic matter
- General Plant Care: Care for your perennials and annuals includes monitoring for pests and diseases, periodically checking soil moisture, and providing fertilizer as needed. In general, plants that have sufficient water and the correct amount of fertilizer tend to not have as many pest and disease problems. Water new plants weekly during the growing season in the first year, and as needed after that.
- General Planting Tips: Choose a site suited to your plant's light, soil, and space needs. Dig a hole twice as wide but no deeper than the container. Perennials and annuals often look best planted in groups of five or more plants - if you are planting multiple plants, you may want to prepare the planting area and dig all your holes at one time to plan placement. Remove plant from container and loosen roots slightly. Place the plant in the hole. If using slow-release (coated) fertilizer, you may add it according to package directions at this time. Add soil back to the hole, ensuring the top of the soil from the container is even with the surrounding soil. Water well, and add more soil if needed. Add 2-3 inches of mulch around plant, taking care to keep away from stem. See our FAQ page for more details on Mulching.
- General Fertilizing Tips: Fertilize in spring when new growth appears, and once more before flowering with a general purpose or slow-release fertilizer.
- General Pruning suggestions: Pinch off the tips of stems early in the growing season for a fuller, bushier plant. You may wish to deadhead (cut off) old flowers to encourage new flowers to form. At the end of the growing season, perennials may be cut back to the ground for a tidier appearance.
- Bloom Tips: Pinch early in the growing season for a fuller, bushier plant