Monarda austroappalachiana - SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BEEBALM (earlier & short, for drier sun)
Shorter and earlier blooming beebalm, rare in nature, discovered in 2015.
Excellent powdery mildew resistance.
White flowers with a hint of purple. Needs drained or dry soil! Don't plant in clay and don't mulch heavily with organic mulch!
Blooming Time: during May
Size: 18" tall and 12-16" wide
USDA Zones: 5/6 to 9
Culture: full sun, partial sun, average soil, drained soils - rocky, sandy, gritty, shallow, drier soils. The drainage seems to be crucial for it's vigor. Drought tolerant.
Moisture Needs: dry, medium-dry, medium (with good drainage)
Origin: Native to very limited area of northern Georgia, southwest North Carolina and southeast Tennessee. Where can be found talus slopes, open woodland, road edges, and steep rocky slopes in sub-xeric habitats with reduced competition from other forbs or woody plants. Was discovered and described as a new species by by botanist Aaron Floden (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) in 2015, It was found along the Ocoee River on the talus slope (slope created from rock debris) and in the woods. Visually reminds of Monarda clinopodia or short Monarda fistulosa.
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: yes / yes
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: long-tongued bees, bumblebees, possibly others.
Attracts Hummingbirds: yes
Pot Size: 3.5" x 4" perennial pot (1.22 pt/580 ml)
Picture copyright: Mt. Cuba. Picture shows cultivar 'Snowbird'
Plant combinations: The best for sunny or half shade but drier garden or drier woodland edges, xeriscape, close to rocks, rock gardens, or anywhere on drier and drained soils.
Good perennial company could be smaller - medium sized native wildflowers and their cultivars: Amorpha nana, Asclepias tuberosa, Asclepias verticillata, Aster laevis, Aster ericoides, smaller Coreopsis, Cunila origanoides, smaller Echinacea purpurea hybrids, Echinacea tennesseensis, Echinacea pallida or angustifolia, Echinacea paradoxa, Euphorbia corollata, Penstemon, Rudbeckia missouriensis and hybrids, Sisyrinchium angustifolium and grasses like Boutelloua gracilis, Eragrostis elliotii, Koeleria macrantha or cristata, Muhlenbergia capillaris, Sporobolus heterolepis, and Schizachyrium scoparium.
From non-native perennials, choose Allium 'Millenium', smllaer Nepeta, Calamintha nepeta, Iris x germanica, Iris tectorum, Lavandula officinalis, Lavandula x intermedia, Perovskia, Stachys byzantina, Stachys macrantha and and other drought tolerant perennials.
Monarda austroappalachiana - SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BEEBALM (earlier & short, for drier sun)
Shorter and earlier blooming beebalm, rare in nature, discovered in 2015.
Excellent powdery mildew resistance.
White flowers with a hint of purple. Needs drained or dry soil! Don't plant in clay and don't mulch heavily with organic mulch!
Blooming Time: during May
Size: 18" tall and 12-16" wide
USDA Zones: 5/6 to 9
Culture: full sun, partial sun, average soil, drained soils - rocky, sandy, gritty, shallow, drier soils. The drainage seems to be crucial for it's vigor. Drought tolerant.
Moisture Needs: dry, medium-dry, medium (with good drainage)
Origin: Native to very limited area of northern Georgia, southwest North Carolina and southeast Tennessee. Where can be found talus slopes, open woodland, road edges, and steep rocky slopes in sub-xeric habitats with reduced competition from other forbs or woody plants. Was discovered and described as a new species by by botanist Aaron Floden (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) in 2015, It was found along the Ocoee River on the talus slope (slope created from rock debris) and in the woods. Visually reminds of Monarda clinopodia or short Monarda fistulosa.
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: yes / yes
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: long-tongued bees, bumblebees, possibly others.
Attracts Hummingbirds: yes
Pot Size: 3.5" x 4" perennial pot (1.22 pt/580 ml)
Picture copyright: Mt. Cuba. Picture shows cultivar 'Snowbird'
Plant combinations: The best for sunny or half shade but drier garden or drier woodland edges, xeriscape, close to rocks, rock gardens, or anywhere on drier and drained soils.
Good perennial company could be smaller - medium sized native wildflowers and their cultivars: Amorpha nana, Asclepias tuberosa, Asclepias verticillata, Aster laevis, Aster ericoides, smaller Coreopsis, Cunila origanoides, smaller Echinacea purpurea hybrids, Echinacea tennesseensis, Echinacea pallida or angustifolia, Echinacea paradoxa, Euphorbia corollata, Penstemon, Rudbeckia missouriensis and hybrids, Sisyrinchium angustifolium and grasses like Boutelloua gracilis, Eragrostis elliotii, Koeleria macrantha or cristata, Muhlenbergia capillaris, Sporobolus heterolepis, and Schizachyrium scoparium.
From non-native perennials, choose Allium 'Millenium', smllaer Nepeta, Calamintha nepeta, Iris x germanica, Iris tectorum, Lavandula officinalis, Lavandula x intermedia, Perovskia, Stachys byzantina, Stachys macrantha and and other drought tolerant perennials.