Thursday 26 July 2012

Bee Balm . . . I Had No Idea!

Surprised and delighted . . . oh, yeah.  
I came across this lovely stand of tall stalks crowned with red feathery headdresses in one of my local parks.  I had never seen these before in all my life so I was anxious to discover what they were.  


My searching revealed that these lovelies are "Monarda", more commonly known as "Bee Balm". Other common names are Horsemint, Oswego Tea and Bergamot.
I had heard of bee balm but did not know what it looked like and for whatever reason never searched it out.  


These flowers will bloom and stay for 3-5 weeks and a 2nd blooming can be encouraged if the spent blooms are deadheaded. They enjoy sun to part sun and can handle a moderate degree of drought.  They are very easy to grow and are highly favoured by bees and hummingbirds alike.


There are a number of bee balm species that have long been used for medicinal purposes.  Poultices for skin infections and minor wounds, tea for throat and mouth infections and infusions for headache and fever.  Native Americans were also known to have used the plant as a seasoning for wild game (birds, in particular).  Its flavour is said to taste like a mix of spearmint, peppermint and oregano.

I really do love delving into plant lore and am always amazed at God's creative genius.  Makes me wonder if He created the flower for its beauty then added the healing properties or designed the medicinal qualities and just made them look so beautiful.  Either way, I stand in awe.

Linking with LeAnne for . . .
photosbyleanne

12 comments:

  1. They are so pretty! I don't think I have ever seen them before!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your processing on these and they are so unique looking!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've heard of bee balm and did not know what they looked like, either. The internet is a wonderful place to learn stuff, isn't it? Wonderful flowers from an extraordinarily creative God.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the way you have given them such a soft gentle look!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, I love this image, so vintage and perfectly composed, gorgeous, the frame finishes it off really well too :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your image. It's so soft and peaceful. I just the colors. Nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh how I love what you have done with this, and really love the lesson in what it is, and what it has been used for! thanks for sharing. Joining you from flower art Friday. http://tutusshots.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-red-rose.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am with you... I stand in awe...

    ReplyDelete
  9. So beautiful photos and work!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very pretty. Love how vivid your images are.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by . . . appreciate your comments.