lemon beebalm
Monarda citriodora
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size1 to 2.5 feet tall9 to 12 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Lavender to pink to white
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Lemon beebalm (Monarda citriodora) is an annual for borders, pollinator gardens, meadows, and containers. This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Lavender to pink flower heads form in tufted whorls, and bees and butterflies visit them. It is not a favorite of deer or rabbits, though hungry ones will eat almost anything. It can form large colonies, so give it room and good air flow.
Pairs well with Goldsturm black-eyed Susan, Standing Ovation little bluestem, and Paprika yarrow.
Native range
Central and southern United States and and northern Mexico.