Three Cheers For Oswego Tea
Grow A “Tea Party Tea” as a Patriotic Treat!
Oswego Tea or Bee Balm and other species of Monarda are among the most colorful natives for the summer garden.
This delightful perennial played a special role in the American Revolution. A native American drink made from Bee Balm, Monarda didyma, was often used as a substitute for the “Indian Tea” or Black Tea being boycotted by colonists in the days of the Boston Tea Party. Also known as Oswego Tea, Bee Balm’s aromatic leaves could be steeped similarly to Black Tea. This mint relative has a very pleasant flavor and is often used in herbal teas today. What more appropriate way to toast Patriot’s Day, Fourth of July, or any other patriotic event than with this stunning North American plant?
Bee Balm even fits a patriotic color scheme, since the usual color of its summer flowers is American Beauty Red. The tubular individual flowers are arranged in heads that look something like fireworks. They are quite useful for bouquets and are absolutely irresistible to hummingbirds who are drawn to the color red and can easily reach the nectar with their long beaks. The blossoms are edible, and are delightful used in salads or floated in punches. Dried blossoms may be used in potpourris.
The genus was named after a 16th century Spanish physician and botanist, Nicolas Monardes., who wrote the first flora of North America. All members of the genus are native to North America. Bee Balm was one of the first North American herbs to gain wide acceptance among European settlers. The showy flower and its value as a garden plant were recognized right away, and seeds sent to European gardeners grew well, so it became a popular garden plant there rather quickly too. Shakers who established a village in the late 18th century in New York further popularized it for its medicinal value. Historical medicinal uses have included coughs and sore throats, flatulence, nausea, and menstrual cramps, among other things.
Most of the cultivars that have flowers other than red are actually hybrids between several species of this genus. The “other parent” may also impart some mildew resistance - a worthwhile trait since powdery mildew is a serious problem on this plant. Red cultivars include ‘Adam’, ‘Cambridge Scarlet’, ‘Morgenrote’ and ‘Jacob Cline‘. ‘Mahogany’ is a very dark red-wine color. ‘Raspberry Wine’ is more of a pink-purple. ‘Croftway Pink’ and ‘Marshall’s Delight’ are pink. ‘Blue Stocking’, ‘Donnerwolke’, ’Claire Grace’, ’Scorpio’, ‘Prairie Night’, and ‘Violet Queen’ are variations of lilac and purple. ‘Snow White’ and ‘Snow Queen’ are white. ‘Fishes’ is white with a very subtle hint of pink. Most cultivars are in the 2-3’ tall range, with ‘Raspberry Wine’, ‘Scorpio’ , and ‘Jacob Cline’ sometimes over 4’ tall. For a lower growing variety, ‘Granite Pink’ is under 1’ tall, with a clear pink flower.
Bee Balm requires very little attention from the gardener, doing well in most soils and in sun or partial shade. Keeping water off the foliage helps discourage mildew. Dead-heading is a good practice to extend the blooming period in the summer - sometimes it can be made to continue into fall. If the last flowers are left to go to seed, the heads of papery calyces sometimes last well into winter.
Like other members of the Mint Family, Lamiaceae, Bee Balm has square stems and opposite foliage. It is a pleasant plant to work around, since weeding or cultivating nearby often releases the minty fragrance.
Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa, has pale lavender flowers and longer leaves. It is more common in the wild in New England than Monarda didyma, with its range extending north into Quebec as well as into the southern states. The name Bergamot refers to its citrus-like flavor and fragrance, for the orange of the same name. It gives the distinctive flavor to Earl Gray Tea. The bracts below the flowers may be slightly purplish as well as the flowers themselves. It is reputed to be more tolerant of drought and less inclined to suffer from powdery mildew.
Western Bee Balm, Wild Oregano or Oregano de la Sierra, Monarda menthifolia, has a flavor very much like true oregano, another member of the mint family. Some botanists consider this a variety of M. fistulosa rather than a separate species.
Spotted Bee Balm or Horse Mint, Monarda punctata, is fairly common in the mid-west, but its range reaches east as far as western Vermont. It seems to be more of a biennial than a perennial The flowers of this are startling close up, though actually rather subtle from a distance. The blossoms themselves are a slightly muddied yellow with purple spots., in dense whorls not only at the top of the stem but several layers down as well, usually forming at least three tiers. Bracts beneath each flower head develop whitish and pinkish tints as the bloom time nears. Leaves are longer and narrower than most other Monarda species. In the wild, this plant grows in dry areas so it is pretty drought tolerant in the garden too.
A good companion for red Bee Balm in partial shade is bright yellow Ligularia ’The Rocket’ - the two are a wonderful combination of contrasting forms and vivid colors. In a sunny area an effective companion is Asclepias tuberosa, most often orange but also reddish or yellow. The more pastel Bee Balm cultivars work very well with gray foliage plants in a sunny garden. Violet Bee Balm hybrids or Wild Bergamot look lovely with most species of Liatris, which can be magenta or white. Another pleasant companion is Blue Wild Indigo, Baptisia australis, with red, pink, white, or lilac Bee Balm. For a fiery combination, try yellow Wild Indigo, Baptisia sphaerocarpa, with red Bee Balm.
