Bee salve ( Monarda didyma ) is also known as untamed bergamot , Oswego Camellia sinensis and horsemint . The flowers of this redolent herb are reminiscent of firework or a pompom , with the centre bursting forth and the back petals glow all around . Its flowers coms in pink , crimson , mauve , violet and white and are particularly attractive to butterflies , bees and hummingbirds . The plant grows 2 to 4 feet tall in a shaggy-coated way and blooms in mid- to late summertime . Each plant life can have 20 to 40 flush .
History
Bee balm has its origin in North America . The Oswego Indians used it to make a delicious tea and teach settlers coming to America to make it . After the Boston Tea Party , it was a very popular beverage . Bee balm is a extremity of the mint family but has a citrus timber to it . The scent is alike to the Citrus bergamia Orange River that relish Earl Grey tea .
Location and Planting
Bee balm will grow just about anywhere , including a wet peat bog - like dirt , although it does prefer well - drain soil . It enjoy the sun but will also tolerate fond shadiness . To be sure it does not take over the full garden , bee balm should be contain in a gravid weed . buy a plant life at a garden centre or get a variance from an established plant life in late outpouring . stab a hole late enough to accommodate all the ancestor to the top of the shank and put it in the hole , filling in and tauten the soil . Water mightily after set and then day by day for about a week .
Cultivation
A little compost every spring and a bed of mulch to keep wet will keep your bee balm happy . It does not necessitate fertilizer . If there is less than 1 in of rain during the week , you ’ll need to give it supplemental water supply . Removing dead flowers encourage more to bloom . Bee balm should be carve up every two or three years to prevent the middle of the plant from dying out .
Winter Preparation
Bee unguent is a recurrent and will return the next spring . After the first putting to death frost turns the stems brown , cut the plant back to 2 inches above the ground and mulch well for added protection during the wintertime . Bee balm maturate in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 10 , with some assortment being less cold audacious .
Harvest
Flowers and leaves can be prune whenever you opt . A large harvest can be dried by veer back the shank to within 2 inch of the footing . Bundle enough to be beguile in a bunch gathered with a rubber band and hang from a beam in a dry expanse out of verbatim sunshine for about two weeks . Once the flush are ironical , salt away them in an airtight container .
Culinary Uses
Oswego tea is easy to make and delicious , with a taste of citrus and mint . Place 1 tbsp . of dry flush and leafage in a tea strainer and pour out 1 cup of water over them . Steep for about 10 minutes plow with the discus . Use honey to sweeten if desired .
Add the unfermented peak and leaves to salads . Bee balm is especially full in fruit salad with melons , but also works well with a vegetable salad . Sprinkle bee balm flowers and leaves over vegetable or add to sausage and other substance dish . Some varieties have a flavor like to winter sweet .
Other Uses
Because the flowers retain their colour , they are an excellent increase to any miscellany . Bee balm impart both the peach of the flower and the citrusy freshness of the scent .
Tie some of the herbaceous plant in a foursquare of fabric and throw it into your bath water .
Calming the effects of a cold is a popular use of goods and services for the herb . The Camellia sinensis can comfort a painful throat and cough as well as help a fever to belittle . It also will tranquilize menstrual painful sensation and help you go to sleep during a fit of insomnia . For a cold , boil piss and pour it into a bowl on a replication . spot 1 or 2 tbsp . of dry bee balm in the trough and stir . Place a towel over the bowl and over your foreland . Breathe in the steam to ease inflamed mucus membrane .
Do not take in bee balm if you are pregnant because it can induce contractions .
References
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