Leading Lady Razzberry opens bright raspberry-purple flowers in early summer, usually around the first week of June in Michigan, well before most bee balm. Dark bracts and leaves with a purple cast add depth to the color.
It grows about a foot tall in a petite, well-behaved clump, ideal for the front of the border or a patio container. Deer usually leave the fragrant foliage alone, and hummingbirds, butterflies and honeybees visit for the nectar.
What it looks like
Rounded flower heads are made of tubular, two-lipped florets in bright raspberry purple, held on dark purple bracts just above the leaves. Leaves are opposite, oval to lance-shaped, dark green with a purple cast, especially near the tops of the stems. The plant forms a low, compact clump about 10 to 14 inches tall and 22 to 28 inches wide. At peak bloom raspberry heads dot the entire top of the dark, purple-tinged mound.
Growing it with lavender
Bee balm prefers richer, more evenly moist soil than lavender, so set it in a neighboring bed with better soil and regular water, where its raspberry heads carry on the summer color and bee traffic near your lavender.
Care
Plant in full sun to part shade in average to fertile soil and water regularly; this compact type does not like to dry out completely. Hardy in zones 4-8. Good air flow keeps the glossy leaves healthy, and trimming spent flower heads tidies the plant after bloom.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Monarda
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Flower color: Bright raspberry purple
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Foliage: Dark green with a purple cast
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Growth habit: Compact, low clump
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Mature size: 10–14 in tall × 22–28 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Early-June
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Peak bloom: Mid-June
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
One full 72-cell plug tray: 72 young starter plugs of this variety (cells about 1⅓ in. wide × 2½ in. deep), rooted and ready to pot up into quarts or gallons. Best for growers and nurseries. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.