Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Pardon My Cerise Bee Balm: Big Cherry Blooms on a Short Plant
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Pardon My Cerise bee balm puts full-size flowers on a plant just over a foot tall. The shaggy heads, 2.5 to 3 inches across, are dark cherry pink and sit right on top of the leaves, so at peak the blooms look almost too big for the little bush beneath them. Brush the semi-glossy leaves and you get a strong minty, oregano-like scent.
It is the narrowest of the Pardon My trio, about 10 to 12 inches wide, which makes it a natural for pots.
Pardon My Cerise at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Monarda didyma 'Pardon My Cerise' |
| Flowers | 2.5 to 3 inch heads, dark cherry pink on reddish bracts |
| Foliage | Deep green, semi-glossy, minty scent |
| Size | 14 to 18 inches tall, 10 to 12 inches wide |
| Bloom | Early July, peaks late July, about 5 to 8 weeks |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 8 |
| Wildlife | Excellent for pollinators, hummingbirds and butterflies; deer resistant |
| Disease | Good powdery mildew resistance |
Next to lavender, not among it
Bee balm and lavender are both pollinator favorites, but they disagree about water. Bee balm wants richer, evenly moist soil, and when it gets too dry it is more prone to powdery mildew. Lavender wants the opposite. So give Pardon My Cerise the neighboring bed with better soil, or a mixed planter on the patio near your potted lavender, and let the bees commute.
The timing is ideal. Bee balm opens in early July, right as the first lavender flush winds down, so hummingbirds, butterflies and bees keep visiting the same corner of the garden. Map it out in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Water: regularly, especially in heat. Drought stress makes mildew worse.
- Airflow: space plants so air moves freely; that matters more than any spray.
- Deadheading: snip faded heads to keep it neat.
- Dividing: it spreads by shallow rhizomes; divide every 2 to 3 years to keep the center full.
- Winter: very hardy in Michigan. Cut stems back in fall or leave them until spring.
In the kitchen and the vase
Like other bee balms, the leaves and flowers are edible and are used for herbal tea or as a garnish. Pick from plants that have not been sprayed. The heads also make good cut flowers; a few cherry-pink heads with sprigs of lavender make a cheerful summer jar.
Choosing a tray
It is offered as a 72-cell plug tray for larger plantings and a 20-cell plug tray with fewer, larger plugs. See the product pages for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Will it need staking?
No. The short, well-branched stems stay compact without support.
Is it good for containers?
Yes. Its narrow footprint suits mixed planters; keep the soil evenly moist.
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