Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Pink Frosting'

Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Pink Frosting': Pastel Pink Bee Balm in a Short Stack

'Pink Frosting' spreads a pastel pink carpet of blooms over a short, minty mound, like somebody iced the front of your border. The hummingbirds have their forks out. SPRINKLES WERE CONSIDERED. THEY WERE DECLINED.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Monarda hybrid
• Common Name: Bee Balm
• Series: Sugar Buzz®, from Walters Gardens
• Height: 35–40 cm (14–16 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Pastel pink, about 5–6 cm (2–2.5 in) across, forming a carpet of bloom
• 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 flowers and foliage, good cut flower
• Plant Patent: USPP 29,548

Where to Plant: Its short height makes it a natural for the front of a border, edging a path, or a container on a sunny balcony. Mass it for a soft pink ribbon in midsummer. It also suits cottage gardens and rain gardens.

Companion Plants: Clematis 'Stand by Me' grows as an upright bush at 86 to 97 cm with blue flowers from June to August, a cool partner for soft pink. Tradescantia 'Innocence' adds white flowers at 50 to 60 cm from June to September. Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' brings yellow daisies at 60 to 75 cm from August to October, keeping colour going into fall. All three like full sun or part sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average to fertile, evenly moist, well-drained soil. It prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soil. Full sun brings the heaviest bloom. Water at the base in dry weather so the plant stays unstressed and clean. Deadhead to tidy it up. 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 it gets crowded.

History: 'Pink Frosting' was bred by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, from seed collected in 2009 from the bee balm 'Petite Delight'. It was first selected in 2011 and patented in 2018.

Final Thoughts: Perfect at the front of the bed or in a party-sized pot, and the deer won't touch it. CUT YOURSELF A SLICE.