May Plants of the Month

Horsemint


Horsemint

Horsemint is popular with pollinators and appealing to people, too! The fragrance of the leaves and flowers add a new dimension to a landscape. Also known as bee balm, horsemint is native herb worth adding to your garden.

The title "bee balm" refers to bees' appreciation of a plant rather than the plant itself. For this reason, many different species are known commonly as "bee balm." This list includes Monarda didyma, M. fistulosa, and a number not botanically related to horsemint at all. To distinguish this species from others, we use the common name "horsemint" or the scientific name, Monarda punctata

Frangipani or Plumeria

Frangipani

Plumerias, or frangipani, are a group of closely related flowering plants that are synonymous with "tropical." These plants can be grown from cuttings, and often look like sad, defoliated sticks upon planting. However, they grow fast and often outshine their mature peers in the landscape. If you're hoping to add a tropical aesthetic and a spectacular floral display to your landscape, plumeria may be the plant for you.