Bee Balm in Zone 8b

Monarda didyma

Method: Buy as a start โ€” Buy as a nursery start and transplant outside โ€” Bee Balm is slow or unreliable from seed, so most gardeners skip seed-starting it entirely.

Start indoorsNot started from seed โ€” buy as a nursery start
Direct sow / transplant outsideApr 8โ€“Apr 15
Estimated bloom~100 days after transplanting

Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing).

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Bee Balm.

Where to buy bee balm starts

Bee Balm is almost always bought as a nursery start rather than seeded โ€” check a local nursery or garden center; we haven't vetted online start/plant suppliers yet.

See it growing

Search YouTube for "growing bee balm" videos โ†’ (a live search, not a hand-picked video โ€” results vary and aren't vetted by us)

โ† Back to the full zone 8b calendar ยท Full companion planting guide ยท Plan your beds in the Garden Designer โ†’