Monarda is an ornamental flowering plant from the Iasnatkovye family. North America is its homeland, but for several centuries the monarda has been successfully cultivated in the gardens of Eurasia. These flowers can decorate the landscape in a natural style. A relative of oregano, monarda is also used as a seasoning or as an ingredient in herbal tea. Many varieties have a mint and lemon aroma, which is why the monarda is popularly known as “bergamot flower”, “Indian nettle”, “lemon mint” or “odorous balm”. The fact that the monarda is also unpretentious in care, makes it a favorite plant for amateur gardeners.
Plant description
Monarda is a rhizome perennial. Ground shoots are represented by weakly branched, tetrahedral shoots 60-90 cm high. A rare, hard pubescence is observed on their surface. The stems are covered with a serrated lanceolate or oval foliage of bright green color. Leaves are located on short petioles opposite. The sheet length is 6-15 cm, with a width of 3-8 cm. The tips of the leaves are pointed.
In June-September, the tops of the shoots are decorated with large inflorescences-baskets. The diameter of each is 6-7 cm. Simple funnel-shaped flowers with long, soft petals are grouped in whorls. The color of the petals can be lilac, purple, red or purple.
Flowers, leaves and even the roots of the plant exude a pleasant aroma, which consists of a mixture of the smells of lemon, tart bergamot and mint. After pollination, the fruits ripen - dry nuts, which ripen, crack into 2 leaves. Seeds can germinate within 3 years after harvest.
Types and varieties of monarda
Monarda is represented by 22 species of plants. The main ones are:
Monard double. Herbaceous perennial grows 70-150 cm in height. It has long, sprawling roots, over which erect, pubescent stems rise. The light green foliage is decorated with a reddish vein pattern. Opposite oval-shaped leaves are pointed at the end, and on the underside are covered with a sparse pile. In June, lush capitate inflorescences of lilac or violet color bloom at the tops of the shoots. Their diameter is 3-4 cm. Each contains about 30 long tubular flowers. For its intense aroma, this species is often called “refreshing tea”, “golden lemon balm” or “bee bergamot”.
Monarda duodenum (tubular). Perennial with a fibrous root system grows branched stems up to 110 cm long. From July to September, the tops are decorated with capitate inflorescences up to 5 cm in diameter. Petals are painted white or burgundy. Flowers exude a pleasant spicy citrus smell. The species is an excellent honey plant and is used as a medicinal and spicy plant.
Monarda lemon. Perennials 15-80 cm tall are covered with dark green lanceolate foliage. Small capitate inflorescences of a lilac hue have a pronounced citrus aroma. It blooms throughout the summer.
Monarda is hybrid. Under this name, several dozens of interspecific hybrids based on the monad and bifida are collected. Varieties:
- Scarlett - vertical slender bushes up to 90 cm high bloom in July-August with fragrant capitate inflorescences of pink, bright red or purple hue (diameter up to 7 cm);
- Mahogany is a medium-sized plant with dark red inflorescences, their narrow petals are intricately twisted and bloom already in early summer;
- Elsiz lavender - shoots up to 1 m high are decorated with dense lavender inflorescences;
- Fireball - thick stems up to 40 cm high are crowned with lush balls of red wine color;
- Schneewittchen - a plant up to 1.5 m high dissolves spherical snow-white flowers;
- Lambada - a lush shrub up to 90 cm high is covered with pink or lilac flowers with a lemon scent.
Growing plants
Monarda is propagated by seed and vegetative methods. In just a season, the plant produces many seeds. They can be sown for seedlings or immediately in open ground. In this way, species monards propagate, since varietal characters are not transmitted. In the south of the country, seeds are sown at the end of February immediately into the open ground. Before the thaw, they will have time to go through stratification, and in April the first shoots will appear. Before planting, the snow is removed and sown seeds to a depth of 2.5 cm. Also, gardeners practice sowing monards in the winter. Both methods are quite convenient. In May, you only need to thin out the seedlings or transplant the plants so that the flower garden is more uniform. Seedlings will bloom only after a year.
To get stronger plants, you can grow seedlings. Already in January, seeds are sown in containers with a mixture of garden soil with peat. Sowing depth 20-25 mm. The box is covered with foil and placed in a well-lit place with a temperature of + 20 ... + 22 ° C. After 2-3 weeks, the first shoots appear. After that, the shelter is removed. When the seedlings grow 2 true leaves, they are dived into separate pots or boxes with a distance of 3-4 cm.
To propagate varietal monarda, use the methods of grafting and dividing the bush. Perennials 3-4 years old are suitable for this procedure. In the second half of spring, a bush is dug up, the roots are soaked in water and freed from an earthen coma. Using a sharp blade, the rhizome is cut into pieces. Places of slices sprinkled with crushed charcoal. Delenki are immediately planted in pits, compacted soil and well watered.
Green shoots until buds are cut into cuttings. They should contain 2-4 sheets. The lower leaves are cut off completely, and the upper leaf plates are shortened by 1/3. Rooted cuttings in containers with wet sand. Plants are covered with a transparent cap and placed in a room with room temperature and ambient light. After 2-3 weeks, the cuttings form the roots. Until August, they are grown in containers, and then transplanted into open ground. If vegetative propagation is carried out at the end of summer, the seedlings will not have time to grow stronger for wintering, so they are grown in containers until next spring.
Outdoor planting and care
In the garden for monarda, open, sunny areas are selected. Maybe she can grow normally and in partial shade. Necessarily need protection against drafts. Planting soil should be light and well-drained. Lime primers are preferred. In the autumn, the future flower bed is dug up, weeds are removed and peat, manure or compost, superphosphate and slaked lime are added to the ground. During planting, seedlings make nitrogen fertilizers.
Monarda seedlings are planted in open ground at the end of April. In the case of short-term frosts, it will not suffer, as it is able to withstand cooling to -5 ° C. The distance between the bushes should be 60 cm or more. In the future, every 3-4 years, the monard bush is divided. It grows very much, becomes too thick and loses its decorative effect.
The main care for the monarda is regular watering, weeding and top dressing. In summer, it is watered twice a week, and in extreme heat daily. It is necessary that the water does not fall on the lush inflorescences and have time to go deep into the soil. So that the earth is not taken by the crust after watering, it is mulched with peat or sawdust.
Young plants are vulnerable to weeds, so regular weeding is the key to the formation of a lush, sprawling bush. This procedure will also provide air access to the roots.
From the planting itself until the fall, the monard is fed twice a month. It is recommended to use mineral complexes for flowering plants. Several times a year, top dressing is carried out with an organic mixture ("Mullein").
Monarda is resistant to frost up to -25 ° C, so it rarely needs shelter. For winter, dried stems are recommended not to be pruned. They will trap snow and protect the rhizome from freezing. In the northern regions, the bush is additionally covered with non-woven material. In the spring produce pruning of dry shoots.
Monarda is vulnerable to powdery mildew. Most often, the disease develops with insufficient watering. Gardeners fight it with fungicides or folk remedies: it is enough to dilute 120 ml of milk in 1 liter of water and spray the shoots with a solution. A similar procedure is carried out not only as a treatment, but also for prevention. Also, the plant may suffer from tobacco mosaic and rust. In this case, the affected processes are cut off and destroyed.
Fragrant leaves and flowers by themselves repel harmful insects, so you do not have to protect the monard from pests. It is even planted next to other plants as a natural insecticide.
Using monarda
In landscape design, monarda is used in a mixed flower garden of a natural type, as well as in group solo plantings, mixborders, and discounts. Companions for plants in the garden can be phlox, coneflower, lilac, delphinium, chamomile and aster.
Thanks to its delicate, pleasant aroma, monarda is used in cooking. It is added to preservation, meat marinade, spring salads, tea. Monardic oil is used to care for the skin, restore normal fat content, rejuvenation, and tone up. Inhalations with oil and decoctions from the leaves are used for atherosclerosis, otitis media, sinusitis, pneumonia and digestive problems.
A decoction of inflorescences and stems helps housewives get rid of black mold on the walls of houses. It is enough to spray spots with a concentrated preparation or add it to whitewash and the fungus will disappear for a long time.
