What's Blooming Now - Raspberry Wine Bee Balm 6/13/10

This is a bee balm bud.

This flower is not fully open. Soon wonderful multiple levels of tubular petals will fan out all around the center. Bee balm has very complex flowers.

Raspberry Wine Bee Balm is just coming into bloom. It is going to be a beautiful show.

I bought one plant the spring before last. It did not bloom the first year at all. This spring it was popping up all over the flowerbed where I had it planted. I had to pull up a lot of it because it was taking over. I also dug some of it up and moved it to another flowerbed. It is very aggressive. I have Bartlett's Bee Balm growing next to it. The Bartlett's is in full bloom right now, almost on the decline, in fact.

Bee balm is a medicinal herb, one of the most colorful and attractive herbs. Taken as a tea (pick the leaves and dry them before the plant flowers ) bee balm will ease colds, respiratory problems, and fevers. It smells wonderful, and it is often used as an ingredient for potpourri.