LITTLE BEEBALM

Monardella odoratissima

For those who like their gardens to have a tidy look, little beebalm is the perfect plant. It forms a compact, rounded mass of small, green, mint-scented leaves. The plant becomes covered with lavender to pink masses of flowers from mid through late summer. These flowers are visited by a fascinating array of native insect pollinators. Little beebalm is quite tolerant of watering as long as the soil is not too heavy, and it works well in traditional rock gardens and perennial beds, especially as a border plant. In nature it is found on rocky scree slopes at middle to high elevations, so it likes sunshine and good drainage, but it needs regular water during the summer. A deep watering every couple of weeks during dry weather should be enough. Little beebalm combines well with other low mounding perennials like sulfurflower or James buckwheat. It looks its best at a fairly wide spacing so that its pretty rounded shape can develop and be seen.