Pink Chenille Bee Balm - 72-Cell Plug Tray

Pink Chenille has large bee balm flowers, about 3.5 inches across, in fluorescent pink with paler pink centers for a two-tone look. Bloom starts in midsummer, and well-branched stems follow up with a second flush that extends the season.

It grows about 20 to 22 inches tall and wide, a solid size for the middle of the border or a big container. It resists powdery mildew well, and the minty foliage can be used for tea. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are frequent visitors.

What it looks like

Very large, shaggy flower heads about 3.5 inches across are made of long, tubular florets in fluorescent pink, fading to a lighter pink toward the center of each head. The heads sit on pink-tinted bracts at the ends of well-branched square stems. Leaves are opposite, oval to lance-shaped, medium to dark green and toothed. The plant forms an upright, rounded clump about 20 to 22 inches tall and 18 to 22 inches wide. At peak bloom the big two-tone heads cover the top half of the plant.

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 bright pink heads carry on the summer color and bee traffic near your lavender.

Care

Grow in full sun to part shade in average to fertile soil with regular water, especially during summer dry spells. Hardy in zones 4-8. Give it room for air to move around the stems to help keep leaves clean, deadhead faded heads for a longer show, and divide the clump every few years in spring.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Monarda
• Flower color: Fluorescent pink with lighter centers
• Foliage: Green
• Growth habit: Upright, rounded clump
• Mature size: 20–22 in tall × 18–22 in wide
• USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
• Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
• Bloom start: Early-July
• Peak bloom: Late-July
• Bloom pattern: Repeat Blooming
• Deer resistance: Resistant
• 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.