Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Rockin' Raspberry'

Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Rockin' Raspberry': Shaggy Raspberry Blooms on a Tidy Clump

'Rockin' Raspberry' turned up the amp and hasn't turned it down since. Deep raspberry-purple heads on very dark, minty foliage, with bees, butterflies and hummingbirds moshing up front. THE NEIGHBOURS FILED A NOISE COMPLAINT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Monarda hybrid
• Common Name: Bee Balm
• Series: Sugar Buzz®, bred by Walters Gardens
• Height: 40–60 cm (16–24 in)
• Spread: 50 cm (20 in)
• Flowers: Deep raspberry-purple, about 5–6 cm (2–2.5 in) across, on well-branched stems
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to late summer (July to August)
• Foliage: Very dark green and mint-scented, in an upright clump
• Features: Above-average powdery mildew resistance, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Its compact size fits smaller gardens, the middle of a border or the front of a deep bed. Plant three or five together for a solid block of colour, and grow a few extra for cutting.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Rockin' Raspberry' in a sunny or part-shade bed with a pink peony, rusty red daylilies and grape spiderwort. Paeonia 'Alexander Fleming' opens big pink double peonies at 75 to 90 cm in May and June. Tradescantia 'Concord Grape' adds violet-purple spiderwort at 40 to 45 cm from June to September. Hemerocallis 'Red Rum' brings rusty red daylilies at 35 to 40 cm in July and August. Calamagrostis brachytricha adds pink-tinged fall plumes at 90 to 125 cm.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun to part sun, in average soil that stays evenly moist but drains well. Full sun gives the most flowers and helps keep the leaves clean. Bee balm that dries out hard in summer is more likely to get mildew, so water deeply in dry spells and aim the hose at the soil, not the leaves. Snip off spent flower heads to keep it tidy. Cut the stems down in late fall, or leave them for winter and cut them in early spring. Every three years or so, divide the clump in spring and thin crowded stems so air can move through.

History: The Sugar Buzz® series came out of the Walters Gardens breeding program in Zeeland, Michigan, selected to stay compact and resist powdery mildew better than many older bee balms. The genus name honours Nicolás Monardes, a Spanish physician who wrote about plants from the Americas in the 1500s.

Final Thoughts: Mildew resistant, deer resistant and great for cutting. Plant it front and centre and let it headline. ROCK ON.