What is this plant? My mom has this growing out by her driveway. We don't know where it came from. She had thrown a packet of zinnia seeds out along the drive and they came up beautifully.
This plant must have been mixed in with them. We like how the stem comes out from the middle of the flower up to the next flower then out the middle again. Right now it stands 4 to 4-1/2 feet tall. Bees and butterflies love it.
Hardiness Zone: 7a
By Linda from E. TN
Your plant is called Bee Balm. It is an herb. It is highly attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Be careful though, it spreads voraciously. It is a perennial and will return each spring. It is truly a beautiful plant to have in the garden.
It looks to me as a pincushion plant. Do a search on the internet for that and see what you think.
Thank you and I did look but I didn't find any like this one. It appears that this has at least three flowers on the same stem.
It's a little hard to tell from the picture above. I'm adding a second picture to see if it shows more clearly how the stem comes out of the middle of one flower and up to the next flower then out it's middle up to the next.
I'll be back over to see it this evening so maybe I can get a better picture.
I think you are right. I always thought they only were red.
Thank you. Bee Balm is what I originall thought but it is growing different than any Bee Balm I've ever had. My mom has an area that she loves her "tall flowers to grow".
Looks like a pincushion plant to me too.
It is a native wildflower here in Texas. I have several in my yard. Lemon Mint/Purple Horse Mint. It will reseed. I just pull mine and lay the plant down to dry the seeds for next year.
Cut a flower off and put it in water or take your picture to a garden center in your area and when I say garden center I don't mean a lowes or walmart and I'm sure they can tell you what it is.
That is the most unusual flower, it looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss Book...I've never seen a stem growing though 3 flowers like that..I myself can't wait to find out what it is, and where I can get one..I wonder if it is a type of Zinnia since it did come out of a zinnia seed packet. Go to the website of the company the seeds were from, maybe they have something like it on their site.
I have both bee balm and lavenda in my garden. Although they look similar, the lavenda is only 12 - 16" high wheras the bee balm is 36" and taller. So I too think that it is bee balm. Do the leaves smell minty?
I am lucky enough to live within 1 hour of Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg Texas. The flower seeds are available on line at www.wildseedfarms.com. They will reseed every year once you have them estabilished.
It looks like a breed of manarda called Bee Balm. I have red and have been looking for pink all summer long. I finally paid almost seven dollars for a dwarf pink.
If it is bee balm it should have a minty smell. It is a member of the mint family. I use the leaves in with tea and we eat the petals. Some put the petals in salads.
Bee balm is a spice and a diuretic. I would love to trade some Red for Pink.
It's starting to dry up now so tell me how to gather the seeds and email me your address (and anyone else that would like some too) and we'll be happy to do some trading. Mom said she'd love some red ones too.
We're also looking for a Kalanchoe "pregnant plant" if anyone has this.
