Bee balm (Monarda) is a perennial plant that produces vibrant, tubular flowers in shades of red, pink, and purple. It is highly valued in gardens for its strong attraction to pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and especially hummingbirds. Deadheading is the common gardening practice of removing spent or faded flower heads. The purpose of this action is to improve the plant’s appearance and influence its growth cycle. Whether this technique is beneficial depends on a gardener’s specific goals.
Deciding Whether to Deadhead
The decision to deadhead Monarda involves weighing aesthetic desires against ecological benefits and garden maintenance. While the plant will flower without intervention, spent blooms can look untidy as they fade, leading to a decline in appearance later in the season. Leaving the withered flower heads allows them to develop into seed heads, which provide a valuable food source for birds, particularly finches, throughout late fall and winter.
Allowing the plant to complete its natural cycle encourages self-seeding. Since Monarda is a prolific self-seeder, leaving the blooms ensures new plants will germinate the following season, filling out a meadow or native plant area. Conversely, if a gardener wishes to maintain a tidy border or prevent aggressive spreading, removing the spent flowers before they set seed is the appropriate choice. Deadheading also prevents the plant from weakening prematurely, as seed production is an energy-intensive process.
Encouraging a Second Bloom
The primary incentive for deadheading Monarda is to encourage a second flush of flowers, extending the blooming season. As a flower fades, the plant shifts its energy away from producing petals and focuses instead on seed formation. Removing the spent flower head redirects this stored energy back toward vegetative growth.
This redirection stimulates the plant to develop new lateral shoots and flower buds along the stem, resulting in a fresh wave of blossoms. This rebloom is often less vigorous than the initial summer display, but it can provide continuous color well into late summer or early fall. Regular deadheading throughout the main blooming period maintains this continuous cycle of new growth and flowering. Thinning the plant by removing old flower stalks also improves air circulation, which is important because Monarda is susceptible to powdery mildew.
Technique and Timing for Deadheading
The correct technique involves making a precise cut to maximize the chance of new growth. Use clean, sharp pruning shears or snips to remove the faded flower cluster. The cut should be made just above the first healthy set of leaves or a developing side bud visible below the spent bloom. This location ensures the plant has a nearby growth point to immediately redirect energy toward producing a new shoot.
If an entire flower stem has finished its sequence and no new buds are apparent, the stem can be traced back and cut to the plant’s base, known as the crown. This encourages entirely new flowering shoots from the ground. Timing is equally important; deadheading should begin as soon as the first flowers show signs of wilting and continue regularly throughout the blooming season. Gardeners should stop deadheading in late summer or early fall, typically around late August or September, depending on the climate. Allowing the final blooms to remain ensures that some seed heads will form, providing winter interest and a food source for wildlife.