This tall (up to 1.6 meters) plant from the Lamiaceae (or Lamiaceae) family can truly be called many-sided - a variety of species and varieties, the versatility of its use in the garden...

Monarda ( Monarda) begins to bloom in July and ends during the first frost. The flowers are great for cutting. If the buds are not removed, by autumn they will become balls with dark-colored seeds that look decorative and can be used in winter bouquets. The plant is famous for its unsurpassed mint-citrus aroma. Thanks to this, insects flock to the monarda bushes, the plant - excellent honey plant. It can also be used in cooking and in treatment. various diseases. This plant is often mistakenly called bergamot.

In North America (where monarda comes from) there are about 20 species, but in our conditions the most commonly grown monarda is double ( M. didyma), lemon ( M. citriodora) and fistula ( M. fistulosa).

Where to plant monarda?

The location for the plant is chosen depending on the species. Monarda doubly prefers light shade and likes the soil to be fairly moist. Monarda fistula prefers sunny places and is more drought-resistant. Hybrid varieties planted depending on the relationship to a particular plant species. But in any case, it is advisable to choose a place protected from the wind so that the shoots do not bend.

Monarda is not too picky about soil, but prefers light calcareous soils and does not tolerate acidic and swampy soils. It is better to prepare the place in the fall: when high level acidity, it is recommended to carry out liming (40 g of lime per square meter). After this, distribute manure, humus or peat (2 kg per square meter), potassium salt (20 g), superphosphate (40 g) over the ridges, dig up and remove the weeds. In the spring, especially on thin soils, add organic matter. For 1 plant, the feeding area should be at least 30*70 centimeters.

Do not forget that monarda is a large plant and grows into a large clump. They look good in separate groups, or in combination with sage, yarrow, catnip, and cereals. To maintain the decorative quality of the composition throughout the summer, low plants are planted around the monarda (its shoots below are often unattractively exposed).

Monarda double "Scarlet" in garden design

Growing from seeds

Through seedlings in middle lane Growing monarda is more reliable than direct sowing in the ground. They are planted already in February; it happens that the seeds take a very long time to germinate – up to 40 days. To bring this event closer, you need to first soak the seeds in a solution of any stimulant (according to the instructions) or for 24 hours in hot (about 60°) water. And if before that you keep it for about a month (the temperature is a little more than 0°) in refrigeration chamber, not forgetting to periodically moisten the seeds, the seedlings will begin to appear even earlier. At favorable conditions(temperature +16 – 21°) the first shoots appear after 10 days. Now the air temperature should be lowered if possible (but not below +15°).

The seeds are laid out, covered with a little soil. About 3 weeks after the first plants appear on the surface, the seedlings need to be thinned out (maintain a distance of about 5 centimeters) or the excess ones should be planted in separate glasses. At least once before planting, seedlings are fed with nitrogen fertilizers. They are transplanted into their place after 1.5 - 2 months.

IN southern regions Planting directly into the ground in February gives good results. Early spring planting is usually less successful. Typically, the seed method is used to grow new varieties. And then, when the clumps grow, they use the method of dividing the bush to preserve varietal characteristics.

Monarda seeds

Dividing the bush

The bush is usually divided in the spring (it is possible at the beginning of summer, but then the planted plants will need to be shaded and the soil moisture monitored) 3–4 years after planting. Each division should have from 2 to 5 shoots and part of the root system. Once every 3 weeks, planted plants can be fed with any complex fertilizer. Don't forget about watering and loosening the soil.

If the curtains are not planted, in the 5th - 6th year they begin to lose their decorative effect - the middle is exposed.

Other methods of reproduction

Sometimes self-seeding occurs. You can also pin the shoots to the ground in the summer for rooting. After the root system appears, the cuttings are separated from the mother plant and replanted.

Self-seeding of monarda is possible

Care according to the rules and without...

It is considered an unpretentious plant. In the spring, you should treat the monarda with nitrogen fertilizers (you can use 1/5 mullein) or mineral fertilizer (according to the instructions). During drought it is necessary to water; in such weather it is even better to mulch with humus. But the crop does not tolerate excessive stagnation of moisture. Before flowering, you can feed with nitrophoska (per square meter - 30 g), after flowering - potassium magnesia and double superphosphate (per square meter - 30 and 20 g, respectively). Responds well to the application of compost.

In preparation for winter, the shoots are cut off, and the place where the bush grew is covered with compost, although this crop is considered to be very frost-resistant and even in the Moscow region overwinters without shelter.

Diseases and pests

Susceptible to powdery mildew and fungal rust. As a preventive measure, keep the soil moist in dry weather and prevent thickening of plantings.

Due to its strong aromaticity, it is rarely affected by pests. Sometimes leaf beetles attack. If the plant is used for treatment and cooking, chemicals should not be used to combat them.

Use in home cooking and treatment

How medicinal plant originally used by indigenous people North America. In the 15th century, Monarda was described by Nicolas Monardes (Spanish botanist and physician) as an extremely useful crop. Even then, thanks to the amazing lemon aroma of flowers, they were added when brewing tea. It turned out to be a very tasty and healthy drink.

It has now been proven that, in addition to its antipyretic effect, monarda has anthelmintic, antimicrobial, diuretic, antisclerotic, and immunomodulatory effects. This plant is very effective for skin problems (including hair loss), for stimulating cardiac activity, strengthening blood vessels and relieving neuroses. An excellent prevention against the flu is oil, which has a very strong antibacterial effect. To avoid getting sick, it is enough to place bowls filled with oil throughout the rooms. But during pregnancy, monarda is contraindicated.

Leaves, shoots and flowers are an excellent addition to various dishes. They can be added to marinades, jellies, salads, first and second courses, and sauces. By the way, the British include it in the most expensive types of tea.

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A perennial plant with a straight, branched stem and about a meter in height. The leaves are green, toothed, oblong-lanceolate, with large distances (about 5 cm) along the stem from each other. The flowers are small, tubular-funnel-shaped, collected in one round inflorescence of 5-6 cm. Monarda blooms continuously all summer.

If you search for information from sources on the Internet, Bergamot will turn out to be evergreen(a cross between orange and citron), the Rutaceae family from Southeast Asia.

The flowers are large, very fragrant, solitary or collected in few-flowered axillary tufts, bisexual, white or purple, with a strong pleasant scent. Blooms in March - April. (Looks like orange blossoms).

The fruits are spherical or pear-shaped, variable in size, with a navel and a club-shaped column 1 cm long or more remaining on it, golden yellow, with a smooth thick three-layer shell, rich in essential oil. It has a pleasant sour taste. The fruits ripen in November - December.

It turns out that our bergamot, what we call Bergamot and what we buy in the store and use in cooking, which looks like an herb with flowers, looks more like mint and is actually called Monarda, from the family Lamiaceae.

Beautiful honey plants with very fragrant leaves and flowers. Monarda looks great in group plantings of the garden and is very decorative when cut.

A lot of useful properties, like all plants:

Monarda has long been used as a fragrant and healthy spice that improves digestion; it contains valuable substances (including vitamins (C, B1, B2) and has medicinal properties. Fresh monarda is used in homeopathy. Monarda extracts have antibiotic properties, and essential oil bactericidal and has anthelmintic activity. Monarda fistula is used to treat bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, and radiation sickness. It also turned out that the essential oil of this type of monarda helps treat salmonella infections.

I am a conventional gardener, an experimenter, with nowhere to turn around. What to do, I am drawn to my ancestors, to the earth. Genetics, how to avoid it, no way *serious smile*. So it turns out that whenever possible, I grow something. I miss nature, I want my eyes to rest on something. Now, due to space limitations, all my attempts end with a window sill and a balcony.

This time I’ll tell you about such a well-known herb, beloved by many - bergamot. Everyone drank tea with him. I, at one time, for several years, only with him. Now, not if I add it myself, from the “bush”. It is very difficult to buy something with a natural rather than a “flavor.”

The seeds are sold and are called Bergamot Monarda, and may also be added:

fragrant monarda (M. clinopodia), middle monarda (M. media), Russell's monarda (M. russeliana), soft monarda (M. mollis), Bradbury monarda (M. bradburiana), point monarda (M. punctata), red monarda (M. rubra), crested monarda (M. restinata), disseminated monarda (M. dispersa), etc.

It is grown in the most common way, by seeds in the ground. There are annual and perennial.

I grew it from a bush of greenery that I bought at the grocery store. The most common herbal seasoning "Live seasonings BERGAMOT (Lemon Monarda), from Moscow.

It looked like this, I think many people bought it:

This kind of root, if planted in a pot of soil, most often grows and sprouts:

The seasoning is “live”, in a pot with roots, which I always regret throwing away and try to give them a “second life” by planting them in pots. It worked several times, now I have bergamot and mint growing and blooming.

Many people don’t even know that if they hurt their hand, they can help themselves right next to the beds: crush a monarda leaf and apply it to the wound for a while or treat it with juice. And in summer and autumn, during the canning period, it is good to put the shoots of this plant in a jar, thereby preventing spoilage of the product. Monarda essential oil is believed to completely inhibit the growth of black mold

Of course, we add it to tea. In black, green, and other drinks.

The flowers have been making me happy for three months now; they are not going to stop blooming. They don’t smell very much, or rather, they smell very much, of seasonings, literally “herbes de Provence”, if you stick your nose into the flower itself.

It all started like this, I didn’t expect that my grass would bloom:

Only a few have the opportunity to plant a lemon in their garden, but you can grow lemon monarda even in northern regions. And what is she, exactly? worse than lemon? It has a citrus aroma, lemon tea is brewed from it, and used in cooking.

One day, while passing by flower stalls that sell seeds, I saw a new plant. It was a monarda, but not a simple one, but a lemon one - its flowers are completely different. I looked at this bag and bought it.

I sowed seeds for seedlings in March in ordinary purchased soil to a depth of 1-1.5 cm and covered it with film, from time to time I opened it for ventilation. The seeds sprouted together, and the seedlings looked like soldiers in formation. At first the seedlings grew slowly, and then quickly began to gain strength. IN open ground I planted it at the end of April, because monarda seedlings can withstand frosts down to -3.5?, and I placed a mini-greenhouse on top. In May, when it finally got warmer, I removed the greenhouse, and the plants began to grow very quickly. On permanent place I planted them at a distance of 20 cm from each other. Lemon monarda grows up to 70 cm in height, so I added it to phlox, chamomile and echinacea.

Since there were a lot of seedlings, I planted them everywhere: both in the sun and in partial shade under the trees. And I noticed that on sunny place monarda grows in breadth, and in partial shade longer and blooms brighter. I planted the last seedlings in rows with tomatoes, and the tomato fruits grew strong and very tasty.

Lemon monarda blooms very profusely from June until frost. Purple flowers are collected in inflorescences of 5-6 tiers. Similar to candelabra, the leaves are silver-gray with a metallic sheen. During flowering, monarda envelops the garden with a pleasant lemon aroma.

My lemon monarda bloomed in the first year. It propagates by dividing the bush and green cuttings. Cutting in water lasts up to two weeks and does not lose its appearance or aroma.

For the winter, I cut the monarda at the root and covered it with dry leaves. In spring it grows very early - at the end of March.

I use the young leaves for tea and add them to spring salads.

For the winter, I prepare raw materials in the flowering phase - the leaves are very tender at this time. I store it in a tightly sealed container until the next harvest.

I also use monarda in cooking: I put a sprig of the plant along with leaves and flowers in a jar when pickling cucumbers. It gives a special aroma to apple jam, compotes, and jellies. Very tasty tea is obtained if you take 3 tsp per 1 liter of boiling water. black tea (unflavored), 3 tsp. dried leaves and inflorescences of monarda and 50 g of sugar.

That's what it is - lemon monarda! Plant it in your garden.

Based on materials from the magazine “I Love Flowers”

Planting and caring for monarda (in brief)

• Landing: sowing seeds in the ground - in the snow in February or autumn, immediately after collecting the seeds.
• Bloom: from July to the end of September.
• Lighting: bright sun or partial shade.
• The soil: light calcareous soils.
• Watering: frequent but moderate, daily and abundant in dry weather.
• Feeding: from mid-May to early autumn once every two weeks with liquid mullein (1:10) or complex mineral fertilizers.
• Reproduction: by cuttings or dividing bushes that have reached three to four years of age. Only species monarda can be propagated by seed.
• Pests: aphids or weevils.
• Diseases: powdery mildew, rust, tobacco mosaic virus.

Read more about growing monarda below.

Monarda flower - description

So, monarda-bergamot is a perennial or annual rhizomatous plant with straight or branched stems up to one and a half meters high, with oblong-lanceolate, straight, toothed and often fragrant leaves, as well as small, fragrant two-lipped flowers of white, purple, red, yellowish color , sometimes even speckled, collected in dense capitate or racemose inflorescences up to 6-7 cm in diameter, which are most often located on the stem one above the other. The fruit of the monarda is a nut; the seeds that ripen in it remain viable for three years. Monarda is grown in one area for 5-7 years. Monarda attracts not only the color of its flowers, but also its amazing aromas. It is used as a spice in cooking, added to tea, and is also good as a honey plant.

Growing monarda from seeds

Sowing monarda.

In the southern regions, monarda seeds are sown directly into the ground on fine days in February, where they undergo natural stratification over the course of two cold months, as a result of which friendly, strong shoots appear already in April, which only need to be thinned out. If there is snow on the site, remove it, cover the area with film to warm the ground, then loosen the soil by adding a little sand to the top layer and, mixing seeds with sand in a ratio of 1:4, sow them. The seeds are also lightly covered with sand on top. The planting depth should be no more than 2.5 cm. You can sow in the ground in the fall, immediately after collecting the seeds, and in the spring you just prick up the seedlings, then in a year the grown and strengthened bushes will bloom. Monarda emerges very slowly.

Monarda seedlings.

However, most often monarda is grown in seedlings. In order to obtain monarda seedlings by spring, they are sown in January or February in boxes with soil for vegetable crops, covering the seeds to 2-2.5 cm, and place them in a greenhouse, maintaining the temperature under the film at least 20 ºC. Shoots appear after three weeks, and after another three weeks the seedlings are planted in containers according to a 3x3 or 4x4 pattern to increase the feeding area for them.

Planting monarda

When to plant monarda.

Planting and caring for monarda in open ground is not difficult. Monarda prefers to grow in a sunny place protected from the wind, although it also feels good in partial shade. It is not picky about soils, but grows best on light, calcareous soils, and in damp and acidic soil Monarda develops poorly. It is best to plant monarda in the spring, but the area for it is prepared in the fall: they dig it up, clear it of weeds, and add 2-3 kg of peat, manure or compost, 20-30 g of potassium salt, 40-50 g of superphosphate per m². and 40 g of lime. In the spring, before planting, add 20-30 g to the soil for each m². nitrogen fertilizer.

How to plant monarda.

Two months after the emergence of seedlings, when they have three pairs of leaves, the seedlings are planted in a prepared area at a distance of at least 60 cm from each other. Planting of monarda is completed with abundant watering. The seedlings tolerate light spring frosts down to -5 ºC painlessly. Monarda usually blooms from seeds only after a year, but when seedling method the most developed specimens can bloom already this year.

Caring for monarda in the garden

How to care for monarda.

Monarda needs frequent but moderate watering, especially in hot weather, otherwise there is a risk of plant disease powdery mildew. During peak heat, daily watering may be necessary. In addition, in hot and dry summers it is necessary to mulch the area with monarda with leaf humus or peat. Regularly loosen the soil around the monarda bushes and remove weeds. Growing monarda also involves feeding the plant with granulated Kemira or Agricola every two weeks from mid-May to early autumn. Monarda also reacts well to organic matter, for example, mullein diluted in a ratio of 1:10. For preventive purposes, in spring and autumn, monarda is treated with foundationazole and copper sulfate.

Reproduction of monarda.

Since varietal characteristics are not preserved when growing monarda from seeds, it is most reliable to propagate varietal and species monarda by dividing three- to four-year-old bushes. It is better to do this in April, when the soil warms up well, or in early autumn. The bush is dug up, the roots are cleared from the ground under running water, divided into approximately equal parts, the sections are treated with crushed coal and the sections are planted in holes prepared in advance. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to replant and divide the bush often, since literally in two or three years the divisions you planted will grow up to a meter in diameter.

Monarda is also propagated using cuttings 8-10 cm long, which are cut from green shoots before flowering. Lower leaves the cuttings are removed, the upper ones are shortened by a third. Then the cuttings are planted in a box with moist coarse-grained river sand, covered with agril on top and placed in a dark place. Rooting usually occurs within two to three weeks. In the second half of summer, the cuttings are planted in a permanent place.

Pests and diseases of monarda.

Monarda is a plant that is resistant to any troubles, but with a chronic lack of water it can develop powdery mildew. To avoid this, strictly follow the irrigation regime and be sure to mulch the soil in the area so that moisture does not evaporate from the soil so quickly. Sometimes monarda becomes infected with the tobacco mosaic virus or rust, a weevil can settle on it, but a developed and well-groomed monarda does not suffer from anything, and pests are repelled by the aroma of monarda and the content of essential oils in its roots.

Monarda after flowering

How and when to collect monarda seeds.

Monarda seeds ripen into nuts in late August or early September. If you want to do breeding work, you can collect them and sow them immediately or grow seedlings that can be planted in the ground in the spring. Or you can save the seeds in order to sow in a year or two, since the germination period of monarda seeds is proper storage three years. We remind you that varietal monarda seeds do not retain their parental properties; only species plants are grown generatively.

Preparing monarda for winter.

If you don't need monarda seeds, leave the fruits on the bushes - they will be very useful to hungry birds in the fall. The remains of annual monarda species are disposed of, and the site is prepared for a crop that will be grown next year. Monarda is a perennial winter-hardy, it can withstand frosts down to -25 ºC, but if you are afraid that the winter will be not only cold, but also snowless, insulate the area with a thick layer of mulch or cover it with spruce branches.

Types and varieties of monarda

TO annual species Monardas grown in culture include:

Lemon monarda, or citrus fruit (Monarda citriodora)

- the only thing annual plant in the genus from 15 to 95 cm in height with lanceolate leaves and inflorescences of 5-7 whorls with small light or dark lilac flowers, the leaves, flowers and stems of which contain an essential oil with the same components as basil, lemon balm and mint, and this allows the lemon monarda to be used not only as an ornamental plant, but also as a spice plant;

Monarda hybrid Lambada (Monarda lambada),

bred in the Netherlands from crossing several species of the Citriodora group, the young leaves of which, like the leaves of the citrus monarda, are distinguished by a strong lemon aroma;

Monarda punctata,

or horsemint , grown mostly not for its flowers, but for the beautiful, bright, salmon-colored leaves that surround the inflorescences. The plant reaches a height of 80 cm.

Perennial monarda is represented in culture by the following species:

Double Monarda (Monarda didyma),

growing wild in the Great Lakes region. It is a herbaceous perennial, reaching a height of 80 cm, with a horizontal growing rhizome and tetrahedral leafy erect stems. Its leaves are opposite, short-petioled, oval, toothed, pointed at the end, pubescent, green, up to 12 cm long, with reddish stipules. The flowers are small, purple or lilac color, collected in dense terminal capitate inflorescences up to 6 cm in diameter. Large leaf-shaped bracts of almost the same shade as the flowers. In culture since 1656.

Monarda fistulosa, or tubular (Monarda fistulosa)

grows naturally in the forests of eastern North America; in Europe it is grown mainly as an aromatic herb. It is a perennial with numerous stems reaching a height of 65 to 120 cm, with simple toothed leaves covered with fine hairs. The flowers of Monarda fistula are lilac, small, united in false whorls surrounded by reddish stipules and collected in spherical capitate inflorescences. Each peduncle bears from five to nine inflorescences with a diameter of 5 to 7 cm. This species has been in cultivation since 1637. There is a dwarf form of Monarda victoria, bred in Russia.

Monarda hybrid (Monarda x hybrida)

combines forms and varieties bred in Germany, Great Britain and the USA with the participation of Monarda double and Monarda fistulata. These are plants up to 100 cm high with flowers of various colors, for example:

• – violet-purple: Blaustrumpf, Blue Stocking;
• – purple: Fisheye, Zinta-Zinta, Pony;
• – purple: Sunset, Prairie Glow, Cardinal;
• – red: Petite Delight, Cambridge Scarlett, Balance, Adam, Squaw, Mahogeny;
• – pink: Craitley Pink, Croftway Pink, Rose Queen;
• – white: Snow Maiden, Snow White, Schneewithchen;
• – burgundy: Prairienacht, Maroon Moldova;
• – lavender: Elsise Lavende.

The Panorama cultivar population consists of plants with variously colored flowers - purple, white, burgundy, pink, scarlet and crimson.

Properties of monarda

Medicinal properties of monarda.

Monarda parts contain a very high content of essential oils, vitamins C, B1 and B2 and other biologically active elements, which allows it to be widely used in homeopathy. The most valuable product from monarda is its essential oil, which has a bactericidal effect. wide range, as well as reproductive, anti-stress, anti-anemic and antioxidant properties. Regular use of the oil allows you to clear the aorta of atherosclerotic plaques, treats radiation sickness, flu and colds, strengthens the immune system and supports the body after chemotherapy. The use of monarda is indicated for otitis media, cystitis, sinusitis, pneumonia and digestive disorders. Monarda helps with diseases of the oral cavity, headaches, and relieves foot and nail fungus. The plant is also in demand in cosmetology - it is included in creams for mature skin and in preparations for the care of oily and acne-prone skin.

Not only monarda essential oil is popular, but also its leaves, which are added to tea, salads and soups. Monarda greens are used as side dishes for fish and vegetable dishes.

Monarda - contraindications.

Monarda is one of the most useful plants, however, if consumed in excess, even it can cause harm to health. Monarda is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, children under 5 years of age, and not only is it undesirable indoor application, but also using it as a raw material for an aroma lamp.

Monarda is a representative of the Lamiaceae family, which received its name in honor of the botanist and doctor from Spain Nicolas Monardes. This Spanish scientist first described the monarda plant and told Europeans about it in his books “Medical History of Western India” and “Good News from the New World,” calling it Virginian oregano canada.

The lemon aroma of monarda has many benefits. With it, a person feels in a fresh and clean environment. Very attractive for any gardener is the fact that many plants that are not citrus fruits can fill his flower garden with this smell. These include lemon balm, lemongrass, some varieties of thyme and basil.

However, the aroma of monarda has the most pronounced resemblance to citrus; moreover, it contains various shades. This is why in England it is called bergamot, and the official name of one of the species is pronounced “lemon monarda”.

Varieties and types of monrada

It has a size of 70-90 cm, although rare specimens can reach 100 cm in height. The stem is tetrahedral, erect, and has branches. The leaves of the plant are oval, elongated, and have teeth. Plant flowers can have a variety of color palette: these are bright red flowers, and snow-white, and deep purple, and bright pink. The inflorescences have a diameter of 6-7 cm. They grow on the stem one after the other.

grassy perennial, which reaches a size of 0.7-1.5 m. The root is long and horizontal. The stem is tetrahedral, straight, and has small hairs. The leaves are pale green with pink veins, oblong, and have large teeth. The flowers are collected in a capitate inflorescence and have a lilac or violet hue.

The plant belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The plant has a strong root and resistance to all diseases and pests. It is used as a seasoning for meat and salads. Also as a flavoring agent for making jam and many desserts.

This name connects all hybrids of double and tubular varieties. This is a perennial with a height of up to 100 cm. The colors of the flowers can be very diverse: from white to purple. Also, the size of flowers varies: from small, collected in inflorescences, to large, single ones. Among the varieties of this hybrid there are a large number of subvarieties that differ in the density of flowering, shade of leaves, and flowers.

This plant is also a perennial. Belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It has a large number of branched stems, the height of which reaches 60-120 cm. The leaves have teeth. The flowers are lilac and look like small balls, the diameter of which is approximately 6 cm.

The plant is a hybrid. Perennial, reaches a size of 80-100 cm. It has a long horizontal root and a straight stem. The leaves are pale green, located opposite each other, and have short petioles. The flowers have a rich red color, collected in a capitate inflorescence. All parts of the plant have a lemon-mint tart aroma. The plant is used as medicinal purposes, and as a seasoning. The variety is resistant to cold, as well as diseases and pests.

A herbaceous perennial that has unique flowers. Belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The height of the bush ranges from 700-900 cm, some specimens can reach up to 120 cm. The leaves are oblong with pointed tips. Possess green And pleasant aroma. On the stem they are located opposite each other in pairs. The flowers are small, have a pleasant aroma, and are collected in capitate inflorescences.

A compact plant with pink, rather large flowers, collected in capitate inflorescences. The bush is low-growing, only 40 cm tall. The plant is compact and suitable for growing in containers. All parts of the plant have a pleasant smell. Its leaves are used to make tea.

Herbaceous perennial plant. The stems are tetrahedral, the height of the bush is up to 150 cm. The flowers can be of different shades, but they are all collected in capitate inflorescences.

This small plant, which reaches a size of 30-35 cm, has flowers collected in a thick plume. It has a pronounced aroma of bergamot. Used for growing in flower beds. The leaves are used as a spice.

If you look at the plant from afar, it may seem like someone is sitting on the plant. huge spiders with furry paws. Such a plant has flowers. All parts of the plant exude an extraordinary aroma, which is why they are used as a spice. Among other things, the flower looks gorgeous in bouquets.

A perennial that has a long root, the stems of the plant are tetrahedral, reaching a height of 150 cm. The flowers are white, collected in dense whorled inflorescences. Used for group plantings in flower beds, and also looks great in bouquets.

Herbaceous perennial. The plant has the shape of a bush with numerous straight stems. Characterized by long-lasting and abundant flowering. The large capitate inflorescences have a much ruffled appearance. The colors range from pale pink to deep red. Gardeners value the plant not only for its beauty, but also for its medicinal and taste qualities. It is used to make tea. In the flowerbed it looks gorgeous in group plantings.

Reaches a height of approximately 100 cm, the flowers are red in color. Used to decorate flower beds in group plantings, looks great in bouquets.

The plant has the shape of a bush with a straight stem, the height of which is 70-120 cm, the stem is tetrahedral, the leaves have a pleasant smell.

It is a herbaceous perennial with silver-green leaves and two violet-lilac flowers. The height of the bush is approximately 100 cm.

A herbaceous perennial plant with a pleasant lemon scent. Forms bushes with a diameter of up to 45 cm. Small purple flowers collected in whorled inflorescences. to his appearance resemble candelabra. A distinctive feature of the hybrid is long and abundant flowering.

Belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The flowers have a pleasant color and attractive shape. The plant reaches a height of up to 110 cm. Distinctive feature hybrid is its powerful stem and small dark green leaves. The flowers are bright red and have a fairly strong aroma.

Perennial quite unpretentious plants. The flowers have a dense spherical shape and an unusual wine-red hue.

Monarda planting and care in open ground

This flower grows best in full sun, but can also grow in partial shade. True, in this case its bushes will be lower and the flowering will be less abundant.

It is necessary to select a place for planting plants that will be well protected from the effects of winds, since the stems can bend and bend, losing their beauty.

On hot days, you should water the monarda moderately, in no case allowing the soil to become waterlogged. The plant also does not like overly dry soil.

To prevent the appearance of powdery mildew, it is necessary to water the plant in dry weather. If the summer is hot and dry, it is recommended to mulch the soil with peat.

Garden bergamot is one of the monarda varieties. Grown by planting and care without special troubles, subject to the rules of agricultural technology. All necessary recommendations You can find information on growing and care in this article.

Soil for monarda

Monarda is not particularly demanding on soils, but still prefers light, calcareous, fertile soils. Does not do particularly well in heavy, acidic and marshy soils. It can also grow on poor soils provided that it is constantly fertilized.

The soil for the future growth of the flower is prepared in the fall. The soil is dug up, weeds are removed and compost, manure or peat is added in the amount of 2-3 kilograms per 1 m2, superphosphate - 50 grams and potassium salt - 30 grams.

If the soil is acidic, then it is necessary to add an additional 40 grams of lime per square meter. In spring, the soil is enriched with nitrogen fertilizer. Plants are planted at a distance of 60-70 centimeters between rows to provide sufficient free space for nutrition and growth.

Fertilizer for monarda

Plant feeding is carried out during active growth and flowering. Monarda also needs additional feeding during the formation of new shoots and during the transition to the dormant period.

• In spring, the plant should be fed with a complex of mineral fertilizers. 12 days after this, repeat the procedure.
• In autumn, monarda is fed with potassium and phosphorus compounds.
• During active growth it is allowed to use foliar feeding. The leaves are sprayed with mineral fertilizers and microelements.
• When excessive high temperature air, the plant is treated with Epin solution.

Monarda in winter

In winter, the above-ground part of the plant must be completely cut off, and in the spring it will grow back.

The roots of the plant are frost-resistant and survive winters well without additional shelter.

Monarda growing from seeds

When growing monarda from seeds, they are sown in open ground in May to a depth of 1-2 centimeters. The consumption per square meter should be no more than 0.5 grams. In order to disperse the seeds more evenly, they are mixed with sand.

The seed germination temperature is 20 degrees. Monarda seedlings grow very slowly at first. It is necessary to constantly weed them to prevent them from being drowned out by weeds. Young plants are transplanted first at a distance of 10 centimeters from each other, and then at 20. Grown from seeds, monarda does not bloom in the first year.

If desired, you can sow seeds in March to obtain seedlings. The ascended monards, after two weeks, dive according to the 3x3 centimeter pattern. Planting in open ground can only be done once the threat of frost has passed. The distance between plants in one row is 30 centimeters, and between rows is 60 centimeters. Be sure to water when planting plants.

Reproduction of monarda by dividing the bush

To propagate by dividing the bush, you need to select healthy plant, aged 3-4 years. The bush is dug up and divided in the fall.

Each of the formed parts should have 3-4 shoots and roots. The cuttings are planted, just like seedlings, and watered several times.

They also practice propagation of monarda by cuttings of roots, considering this method to be the most effective.

Diseases and pests

When growing in a place that is too dry or over-fertilized, the plant is affected by powdery mildew. Rust damage can also occur.

Copper-based preparations are used for treatment. They are suitable only for growing monarda for bouquets.

If the plant is used as food, then the treatment is carried out using natural means - infusions of onion, garlic or tansy. In general, the flower is quite resistant to both diseases and pests.

Monarda medicinal properties and contraindications

Monarda essential oil is very valuable medicinally, especially when it comes to Monarda fistula, although the official and traditional medicine Almost all types and varieties of this plant are successfully used.

Almost all of its zones - flowers, foliage, shoots - are endowed with healing qualities. These include strengthening the immune system, toning the central nervous system, helping to improve well-being in case of weakness and fatigue, relieving stress, and getting rid of depression.

At the same time, the substances contained in the oil (in particular, thymol) help the body resist aging, strengthen the strength of capillary walls, stimulate the diuretic apparatus, favor the expansion of coronary vessels and lower blood pressure.

Monarda has long been used as a fragrant and healthy spice that improves digestive function. In summer and autumn, when canning takes place, its stems are placed in jars to prevent spoilage of the products contained in them.

Lemon monarda is an excellent seasoning for salads, but, for the most part, it is used as a flavoring for tea, fruit drink or kvass in order to give drinks a subtle lemon-resinous aroma.