Our garden

Bonsai, garden trees, houseplants and the odd volunteer seedling.

This is our little online catalogue of everything growing in our garden, made for friends and family. It's a work in progress, and there's always something new going in.

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Beds
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Bee balm
Red flowers going over, 28 Sept 2026

Bee balm

Monarda (red; tbc)

Red flowers on minty-smelling leaves, popular with bees. Cut back in late autumn; it returns in spring.

Part of the kitchen bed, planted out in spring 2026.

Common name
Bee balm
Section
Beds
Spot
Garden (kitchen bed)
Soil
Garden soil (tbc)
Options
Potential

A flowering perennial for a mixed border or pollinator planting. A generous container is another possible display.

From
Grown on from online plugs, or bought from a local independent garden centre, spring 2026
Age
About 1 year
Next repot
Not needed: it's in the ground
Edible
✅ Yes: Leaves and flowers make a minty tea.
Hardy
✅ Fully
Garden-centre price
about £6
Did you know?

Also called bergamot, as its leaves smell like the bergamot orange in Earl Grey. American colonists brewed it as 'Oswego tea' after the Boston Tea Party.

Care & updates

What to expect
Dies back or rests over winter and comes back strong in spring, flowering through summer. Flowers Jul–Sep.
Feeding
Every 21 days, May–Aug, with Tomato feed (high potash) for flowers
  1. Observation

    Flowers going over.

🎮
PC classic A Bug's Life (PC, 1998)

A whole colony of bugs. The chimney bees would approve.

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