Bee Balm Monarda fistulosa

[William Schlegel]

I have about three or four distinct strains of bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) in my garden a native plant. I think one of the bigger patches has had some turnover in the population this winter / spring. I would like to grow more of it because it is beloved by native bees and pollinators, but it would be nice if possible to breed a more aggressive strain of it.

I found five plants of what I presume to be the strain that evolved on the property on the far side of the hill yesterday, I think I remember there once being only one over there. That could mean it is slowly increasing unless I simply hit it just right. As a native plant it has an enormous geographic range. I am curious about its potential.

[reed]

It grows wild long the roadsides here, especially in places where a creek and road are close together, or along ditches. Sometimes in big patches, but usually just strung out, a plant here, a plant there. Two or three times in my life I have come across a white strain. Any that I have collected and transplanted to home has died out after a season or two.

[PhilaGardener]

Mine fall to downy mildew, so resistance would be a great thing to incorporate into a gene pool.

[William Schlegel]

True

[William Schlegel]

I think most of the Panorama mix bee balm winter killed. Very interesting! This is obvious because the patch is starting to bloom. The local Monarda fistulosa is fine.  There is also some in the adjacent pollinator mix strip from the county doing just fine. There are just a few later blooming plants left though.

A hard January freeze froze the sweet cherry buds locally. So it makes sense that a Mal-adapted strain met its end last winter.

[Steph S]

I had Monarda fistulosa planted in the garden here, survive for about a decade. Started with two groups of about half dozen plants, with different shades of blooms, and by slow attrition they petered out until all were gone.   As Reed said, not a long lived perennial.   Ours didn't self seed, unfortunately.   Just got a new plant from a friend this year, to reintroduce.   
Monarda didyma, which has the awesome 'Earl Grey tea' flavor, is even shorter lived.  Maybe 5 years at best.

[William Schlegel]

Some of my local ecotype plants I planted of Monarda fistulosa are now 20 years old. So maybe different strains have different lifespans in different habitats?

The patch that had the big die off over the winter is interesting today. Some plants are blooming that almost have to be Panorama descendants. The original Panorama row completely died over winter. The local ecotype is still fine. There are likely also still some of the late plants from the county pollinator mix as there are a few that haven't bloomed yet or are just about too. So some turnover but the three sources of genetics are all there still. I'm curious if any if the plants represent hybrids between the three. I saved a little seed in a prior year and hope to save more this year. I'd like to find hybrids and then let those segregate a few generations. Also just want to get more flowers planted for the pollinators. Might be fun to casually collect a few more genotypes as well.