When it blooms in bright pink, red, or purple, bee balm (Monarda) is a beautiful perennial flower that lives for many years. Bee balm, which is also called bergamot or Oswego tea, is a mint family plant that attracts pollinators like hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Bee balm does best when planted near other plants that are similar, but you should avoid planting some types that can hurt it or spread diseases.
When designing your garden beds and borders, keep in mind that bee balm grows best in full sun and moist, well-draining soil. Give each bee balm plant about 2 feet of space all around to prevent overcrowding. Here are 6 types of plants you’ll want to avoid planting next to your bee balm.
Invasive Plants
Bee balm quickly spreads and fills in garden beds with its underground rhizome root system. But it can still be killed by very invasive plants that choke out the bee balm. Don’t plant well-known invasives like
- Barberry
- Bungleweed
- Burning bush
- Chinese wisteria
- English ivy
- Kudzu
- Lantana
- Oriental bittersweet
- Privet
- Sweet autumn clematis
These fast-growing invasive plants will quickly take over garden beds, crowding out bee balm and monopolizing all the available nutrients, water, and sunlight. Give bee balm a fighting chance by planting it far away from invasive species.
Heavy Feeders
Some plants are extra hungry when it comes to soil nutrients, especially nitrogen. Heavy feeding vegetables and annuals like:
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Melons
- Peppers
- Squash
- Sunflowers
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
These types can quickly remove nutrients from the soil, leaving nearby bee balm plants without food. It works best to put heavy feeders in a separate garden bed.
Shade-Producing Plants
While bee balm can tolerate partial shade, it thrives in full sunlight. Avoid planting it near trees, shrubs, vines or other plants that will cast too much shade over the bee balm. Some shade-producing plants to watch out for include:
- Buckthorn
- Clematis
- Flowering dogwood
- Pyracantha
- Southern live oak
- Weeping podocarpus
- White spruce
Bee balm can’t flower if it doesn’t get enough sunlight, which can cause it to grow tall and weak. Give bee balm at least six hours of direct sun every day for the best blooms and plant health.
Mildew-Prone Plants
Powdery mildew is a common fungal disease of bee balm foliage. Help prevent mildew from taking hold by not planting bee balm next to other mildew-magnet plants like:
- Crabapple trees
- Cucumbers
- Delphinium
- Garden phlox
- Lilacs
- Roses
- Squash
- Zinnias
These plants are very prone to powdery mildew infections. Spores can spread from infected plants onto bee balm, especially in hot, humid conditions. Allow ample space between bee balm and mildew-prone plants.
Vegetables
It’s best not to interplant bee balm with vegetables, even though they both thrive in full sun. Vegetables are heavy feeders that will compete with bee balm for soil nutrients. Avoid planting bee balm near vegetables like:
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Melons
- Peppers
- Squash
- Tomatoes
However, bee balm can be planted near lighter feeding vegetables such as beans, chickpeas, lamb’s lettuce, and turnips.
Herbs
Since bee balm is in the mint family, it will compete with other minty herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Don’t plant bee balm right next to these herbs. It’s better to give each plant its own space to prevent one from overtaking the other. The mint varieties to avoid planting next to bee balm include:
- Apple mint
- Chocolate mint
- Orange mint
- Peppermint
- Pineapple mint
- Spearmint
- Wild mint
By avoiding heavy feeders, invasive plants, shade casters, mildew magnifiers, and minty competitors, you can create optimal growing conditions for your bee balm. Focus on planting bee balm near shorter, sun-loving perennials, annuals, herbs and pollinator-friendly flowers. With the right companion plants, your bee balm will thrive and add beauty to your garden for years to come.
Shrubs To Plant With Bee Balm
Bee Balm pairs nicely with shrubs that prefer drier soils and full sun exposure. In a fully stocked herb garden, lavender, rosemary, and thyme usually make up the backbone. They look beautiful behind Bee Balm and its bright flowers. Bee Balm comes from the mint family, but it doesn’t spread as quickly and can be grown safely between and in front of shrubs. Other more ornamental shrubs such as Abelia, Buddleia, and Spirea share Bee Balm’s preference for full sun exposure and provide long-lasting seasonal color.
Best Companion Plants For Bee Balm in Containers
Containers full of seasonal annuals and perennials are fabulous for decorating a deck, patio, or balcony and can be changed every year if desired. Because bee balm grows so well in pots, even a small area can be turned into a honeybee-friendly area. Plant Bee Balm as a thriller with fillers like Trailing Verbena, Supertunia Petunias, and Calibrachoa for summer color that lasts and is easy to take care of.
Ensure that any container used for growing has sufficient drainage at the bottom and is large enough to accommodate all plants. The above-mentioned combination would fill and grow in a 16-inch diameter pot quite happily. Fertilize container-grown Bee Balm monthly with a diluted liquid feed such as seaweed or fish emulsion.
What NOT to plant in your garden starring Century Plant, Bee Balm, Eastern Box Turtle.
FAQ
What’s a good companion plant for bee balm?
Hummingbirds and Hummingbird moths are both frequent visitors to Bee Balm. Favorite Companion Plants: As there are so many colors of bee balm, it can work successfully in almost any sunny garden setting with a variety of plants such as Shasta daisy or garden phlox.
Will bee balm choke out other plants?
Since they keep spreading out, they can shade other plants in the garden and make it hard for them to get nutrients and water. However, because they are native and pollinators like them, we don’t think you should get rid of these lovely flowers completely.
Where is the best place to plant bee balm?
Bee balm thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist, well-drained soil. It’s best to plant them in an area with good air circulation to prevent powdery mildew.
What are common problems with bee balm?
Common Pests and Diseases As for pests, common garden pests like spider mites, aphids, thrips, and stalk borers can all afflict bee balm. However, the plant is not known for being especially prone to any of them. Early prevention and management isareey to preventing and treating any pest infestation.