Sugar Buzz® Grape Gumball forms a solid dome of vivid magenta bee balm flowers in midsummer. The 2 to 2.5-inch blooms sit on strong, well-branched stems about 20 to 24 inches tall.
It fills a container or a spot in the middle of the border without wandering, and it shows above-average resistance to powdery mildew. The dark green leaves have a minty scent, and the flowers are a reliable nectar source for hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.
What it looks like
Rounded, shaggy flower heads 2 to 2.5 inches across are made of many slender, tubular florets in vivid magenta with a purple cast, radiating from a central crown on dark purplish bracts. Leaves are opposite, oval to lance-shaped, dark green with toothed edges on square stems. The plant forms an upright clump about 20 to 24 inches tall and 16 to 24 inches wide. At peak bloom the magenta heads crowd into an even dome over the foliage.
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 magenta 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
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Botanical name: Monarda
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Flower color: Vivid magenta
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Foliage: Dark green
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Growth habit: Upright clump
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Mature size: 20–24 in tall × 16–24 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-July
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Peak bloom: Mid-July
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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.