| Description | A Monarda with purple colored flowers. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (mo-NAR-da) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Perennials Hardy |
| Hardiness Zone | 4-9 |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average, in moist sites they will expand rapidly becoming aggressive and invasive |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | flower head consists of tubular flowers in a single or double row whorl around the center, purple |
| Leaves | opposite, pointed and have a scent, mildew is a problem with the foliage, even the mildew resistant varieties have some problems, this variety has good mildew resistence |
| Stems | 4 sided stems |
| Roots | fiborous |
| Dimensions | 30 plus by 30 inches (HS) |
| Maintenance | After blooming cut back to the ground. Cutting back eliminates the bare knee stems and the mildew laden leaves. Monarda dies out in the center and needs to be divided every 2-3 years. Dig healthy clumps and replant or dig out center and fill with compost. The plants will rapidly regrow. Should be placed behind a plant that will cover up the space left when Monarda is cut back. |
| Propagation | easy by division |
| Native Site | Genus is native to North America. |
| Misc Facts | Called Oswego Tea because it was discovered by John Betram near Oswego, New York. He used the leaves to make tea. The genus was named after Nicolas Monardes a 16th century botanist |
| Notes & Reference | #04-Herbaceous Perennial Plants (Allan Armitage), #40-Herbaceous Ornamental Plant(Steven Stills) |
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