Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Cherry Pops'

Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Cherry Pops': Cherry Red Without the Takeover

'Cherry Pops' is cherry red with lighter centres and the sticky-fingered energy of a summer afternoon at the corner store. Compact, minty and loaded with hummingbirds. THE ICE CREAM TRUCK HAS COMPETITION.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Monarda hybrid
• Common Name: Bee Balm
• Series: Sugar Buzz®, from Walters Gardens
• Height: 50 cm (20 in)
• Spread: 65 cm (26 in)
• Flowers: Cherry red with lighter centres, about 5–6 cm (2–2.5 in) across
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to late summer (July to August)
• Foliage: Dark green, mint-scented when crushed, with above-average resistance to powdery mildew
• Features: Fragrant foliage, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Its tidy size suits the front or middle of a border, a small garden or a container on a sunny deck. It forms a neat clump that won't take over, which makes it a good bee balm for mixed plantings.

Companion Plants: Use 'Cherry Pops' in a sunny or part-shade bed with sky-blue stars, red daylilies and fragrant lavender phlox. Amsonia 'Starstruck' opens sky-blue stars at 76 to 91 cm in May and June. Hemerocallis Happy Ever Appster™ 'Red Hot Returns' adds cherry-red daylilies at 61 to 71 cm from July to September. Phlox 'Jeana' brings fragrant lavender-pink heads at 90 to 150 cm from July to September. Miscanthus 'Purpurascens' rises behind at 120 to 180 cm, turning red-orange in fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average to fertile, evenly moist, well-drained soil. Full sun brings the most flowers and the healthiest leaves. Water at the base during dry spells. Deadhead to keep it tidy. Cut stems to the ground in late fall or early spring. It spreads slowly by shallow runners. Divide every few years in early spring if the centre starts to thin.

History: 'Cherry Pops' was bred by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, from an open-pollinated seedling of one of the nursery's Monarda didyma selections, sown from seed harvested in 2010. It was one of the first plants released in the Sugar Buzz® series of compact bee balms.

Final Thoughts: Good for cutting, ignored by deer, adored by butterflies. Plant it where the kids can see it. AND THE KIDS AT HEART, TOO.