Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Blue Moon'

Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Blue Moon': Lavender-Blue Haze in Miniature

'Blue Moon' is the rare bee balm that blooms lavender-blue, so yes, this only happens once in a blue moon. Set in purple bracts on a compact plant. CANCEL YOUR PLANS AND GO LOOK.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Monarda hybrid
• Common Name: Bee Balm
• Series: Sugar Buzz®, from Walters Gardens
• Height: 50–60 cm (20–24 in)
• Spread: 45–55 cm (18–22 in)
• Flowers: Lavender-blue, about 5–6 cm (2–2.5 in) across, set in purple bracts
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to late summer (July to August)
• Foliage: Dark green, mint-scented when crushed, with above-average resistance to powdery mildew
• Features: Rabbit resistant, fragrant foliage, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Its compact size suits the front or middle of a border, a small urban garden or a large container. Plant a few together for a cool, misty drift of colour in a pollinator garden where space is tight.

Companion Plants: Give Sugar Buzz® 'Blue Moon' a sunny or part-shade bed with a cream peony, lemon daylilies and violet spikes. Paeonia 'Bowl of Cream' opens big cream double peonies at 80 to 90 cm in May and June. Veronica 'Royal Candles' adds violet-blue spikes at 30 to 38 cm in June and July. Hemerocallis Happy Ever Appster™ 'Big Time Happy' brings lemon-yellow daylilies at 40 to 45 cm from June to September. Calamagrostis brachytricha adds pink-tinged fall plumes at 90 to 125 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average to fertile, evenly moist, well-drained soil. Full sun gives the best flowering and the cleanest leaves. Water at the base in dry spells, since drought stress invites mildew. Deadhead to keep it neat. Cut stems to the ground in late fall or early spring. Like all bee balms it spreads by shallow runners, so divide every few years in early spring to keep the clump vigorous.

History: 'Blue Moon' was bred by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, from a seedling raised in 2012 from one of the nursery's own hybrids. It was first picked out in 2014.

Final Thoughts: Mint-scented leaves, deer and rabbit resistant, and a magnet for hummingbirds. Plant one before everybody else catches on. RARITY LOOKS GOOD ON YOU.