Scarlet Beebalm

Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma

All of the Monarda's have pretty flowers, but this one is certainly the most striking, as red as Cardinalflower or for that matter a bright red Northern Cardinal.

It is native to North America, but has been used so widely as a garden plant that it's hard to know its native range for sure. Another name for it is Oswego Tea, which refers to its use as a medicinal plant by the Oswego Amerindian tribe.

It does do well in the garden, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.



The plants in our garden are gone, but this patch that escaped in a nearby field has persisted for years.

Tea leaves?