Description

The citrus-scented wild mint that calls the pollinators home. Monarda citriodora, known as Lemon Bee Balm or Lemon Mint, is a native North American herb that bursts with stacked whorls of lavender-pink blossoms rising above aromatic foliage. When brushed or crushed, the leaves release a bright, lemony fragrance with notes of mint and thyme—a scent both refreshing to the gardener and irresistible to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Plants grow 18–30 inches tall, forming upright clumps that bring color and fragrance to borders, pollinator gardens, and herb beds. The blooms appear in layered crowns from early to midsummer, each cluster like a tiered crown of petals dancing in the sun. The flavor, mild and citrusy, lends itself to teas, garnishes, and homemade herbal elixirs.

Native to the southern and central United States, Lemon Bee Balm thrives in dry, well-drained soils and full sun, reflecting the hardy spirit of the prairies it calls home. Long valued by Indigenous peoples for both culinary and medicinal uses, it remains a symbol of the living bond between beauty, utility, and the wild sweetness of the land.