Monarda ‘Grape Gumball’ – Sugar Buzz® Bee Balm

Breeders of bee balm (Monarda) seem obsessed with creating miniature varieties that have little resemblance to the ancestral meadow species – we tend to avoid them in favor of taller varieties like ‘Jacob Cline,’ ‘Raspberry Wine’ and ‘Purple Rooster.’ The Sugar Buzz® Series though receives our approval. It’s more mid-sized – about 16-24” – and with a fantastic array of colors. Flowers appear midsummer on strong, well-branched stems. Foliage is a deep, dark green color and all varieties have good resistance to powdery mildew. Perhaps most importantly these varieties – as reflected in the Sugar Buzz® name – produce abundant nectar and are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.