Monarda is a wonderful honey plant with fragrant flowers and leaves. Unfortunately, this plant is not often used to decorate gardens, house plots. However, currently very beautiful decorative varieties, characterized by a variety of colors, long, abundant flowering.
In addition to its decorativeness, lemon monard is known as medicinal plant, which has a pronounced antimicrobial, anthelmintic effect on the body. Its leaves, stems contain valuable essential oil, which contains a lot of vitamins C, B1, B2. It contains substances such as limonene, thymol, carvacrol and many others.
Therefore, the plant can be used not only to decorate the site. It can be used for treatment, included in the diet, as a spicy vegetable herb.
How to grow a plant such as lemon monarda, planting and care, growing from seeds, how is it done? Let's talk about this today:
Growing from seeds
It is better to sow seeds for seedlings from the beginning of spring (March-April). To do this, they are placed in boxes filled with prepared soil (you can use a ready-made soil mixture for flowering plants), to a depth of about 1 cm.
Shoots will appear in 18-20 days. Now you need to dive them, transplanting them into small pots, apply nitrogenous fertilizers - 10 g per 1 liter. water. Then young plants will take root better, flowering will begin earlier.
When the plants get stronger, 3-4 leaves will appear, they are planted in open ground. It is better to do this by mid-May, when the weather is warm and the frost will definitely not return. They are seated at intervals of 20-30 cm.
Before planting, the soil is carefully dug up, humus is introduced - 1 kg per 1 sq. m. The soil surface is leveled and watered abundantly. Therefore, the soil where you intend to grow the monarda must be prepared in advance, in the fall. The site is dug up, weeds are removed, peat or compost is introduced. It is very good to add potassium salts and superphosphate. If the soil in your area is acidic, add limestone. Feed the plants with nitrogen fertilizers in the spring.
Monarda lemon from seeds can be grown without seedling method... In this case, the seeds are sown directly into the prepared, moistened soil (by forming grooves), to a depth of 1-2 cm, maintaining a distance between plantings of 30 cm, a distance of at least 70 cm is left between the rows.
The crops are sprinkled with nutritious soil, and then covered with a film. It can be removed after the emergence of strong growth.
In addition to the described seed methods, you can propagate the monarda by dividing the bush. To do this, an adult, healthy plant is divided during flowering, and then planted. With this method, the bushes retain a bright color, bloom profusely. In the spring, after rooting the plants, they need to be fed mineral fertilizers.
Planting and caring for lemon monard
It should be noted that the lemon monard is unpretentious to the composition of the soil. However, it does not tolerate strongly acidic or moist peat soil. The plant needs feeding with organic and mineral fertilizers. Apply them to the soil in spring and summer. In the spring, you can use nitrophos or lignohumate, and in the summer, potassium sulfate or superphosphate.
For abundant, long-lasting blooms, choose sunny areas of your garden. Although the monarda grows quite well in partial shade. Do not forget to cut out the weeds, loosen the ground.
Water your plants regularly, especially during dry periods. In general, to keep plants healthy, maintain optimal moisture levels. Do not allow the soil to dry out, as this can lead to powdery mildew on the leaves.
Also, this phenomenon can occur after applying a large amount of fertilizer. Therefore, before feeding, follow the instructions on the fertilizer package.
Divide the bushes of adult plants at least 1 time in 3-4 years. This will strengthen them, improve the quality of flowering, make them more attractive. general form.
However, this will not help all the time. Practice has shown that the monard lemon growing which is produced in one place for more than 6 years, they begin to die off starting from the center of the bush. Its appearance deteriorates, flowering activity decreases. That is why experts do not recommend keeping the bush in one place for more than 6 years. Be sure to repot 4-5 year old plants.
When proper care and the care of the lemon monard retains its decorative view... During the flowering period, it is abundantly covered with pretty fragrant flowers, and after they have faded, hanging fruit-nuts remain on the branches, giving the plant exotic look... Besides, good care contributes to the preservation of all healing properties.
Application of monarda
The plant is known for its beneficial properties thanks to its essential oil, which has antimicrobial, antiseptic properties. Monarada lemon is considered one of the best folk remedies treatment of cough, bronchitis, bronchial asthma. Essential oil is used in the complex therapy of helminthiasis, salmonella, it is used externally in the treatment of burns, eczema. They successfully get rid of fungal diseases and are used to treat dandruff.
To prepare a medicinal infusion, pour 1 tbsp into a mug. l of dried, chopped herbs, flowers. Pour a glass of boiling water over everything. Warm it up, wait half an hour. Take the filtered agent half a glass 3 times a day, use it externally, as needed.
Attention! Before using plant preparations, study its contraindications. And we are on www.!
Conclusion
The decorative and healing properties of this wonderful plant are obvious. Therefore, be sure to plant the monard on your site, take care of it. In gratitude, you will receive a beautiful, very useful plant, as well as a fragrant seasoning for meat, vegetables, dishes, confectionery. Good luck, dear gardeners!
Monarda lemon is an ornamental plant, looks beautiful in photographs, in the country, can be used for bouquets, but it is popular not only because of this.
Lemon monarda contains honey nectar, there are essential oils in the inflorescences and leaves.
To obtain essential oils, the leaves must be harvested when the plant is in bloom.
In this case, the plant is most active for the first five years, then the effectiveness of the oils decreases.
Origin
The monard plant has several types, these are:
- double monard,
- fisty,
- lemon monard.
Refers to a fast growing perennial grass, but more often it is grown as an annual plant, to the family of lacustrine, labiate.
They grow in North America and Mexico. Monarda is sometimes called bergamot, they are similar.
The herb lemon monarda is used in medicine and cooking, as it has a pleasant aroma. If you grind the leaves of lemon monarda, then a lemon-like aroma is released. Some say that when rubbing old monarda leaves, it smells like oregano.
Sprouting
The plant was named after the botanist from Spain who first described it, Nicholas Monardes. In Russia, in its middle zone, the most known varieties monarda lemon are varieties such as Mona Lisa, Diana, Solntsevsky Semko.
Usually this annual plants, sometimes they tolerate winter well enough. In Russia, Monarda variety Mona Lisa is available for use.
Appearance
Outwardly, it is a bush, from the center of which stems grow.
Since the lemon monard is an ornamental plant with useful properties, it is actively spreading throughout Europe.
In a simple way, lemon monard is called bergamot, lemon mint, American lemon balm. The plant has a spicy smell, enriched with essential oils.
Monarda lemon has a fairly strong aroma, which is similar to the smell of mint and lemon.
Monarda lemon is a bush with stems, with green oval leaves with a sharp tip 4-8 centimeters long. The stems are thin, around them there are curled flowers of white, pink, purple.
Most of the Monarda varieties are perennials. With the onset of winter, the upper aboveground part of the plant withers, and closer to spring the flower awakens. It blooms for two months in summer from July.
Reproduction
Lemon monarda begin to grow by planting seedlings. You can use the option of dividing the bush, or growing from seeds.
Seedling method
To prepare seedlings, you need to sow seeds in boxes in January or February. After three weeks, shoots may already appear. To germinate seeds, a temperature of at least 20 degrees is needed.
They can be planted on the site in two - two and a half months, and you can not be afraid of frost. You can choose either a sunny or semi-dark place.
The depth of the soil should be about two centimeters, the soil must first be loosened and manure, minerals, sand, lime should be added. And in the process of the transplant itself, you also need to add ammonium nitrate.
Bush division method
You can use the method of dividing the bushes, but the bush must be 4 years old. From one bush, you can make up to 28 seedlings, but this does not apply to all varieties of monarda, but not for lemon.
For lemon monarda, planting seedlings is more suitable. The first two months, the bush will grow slowly, gradually increasing growth. During the summer, you can do weeding 3 times.
Properties of lemon monarda
They appreciate the lemon monarda for its essential oils, they are used in perfumery, for medicinal purposes. The essential oil of lemon monarda is called citronella and contains phenolic monoterpenes, thymol.
Monarda can also be used to add flavor to tea, as a seasoning for meat dishes.
Lemon monarda can also be used as a medicine.:
- for the treatment of asthma, bronchitis,
- as an antimicrobial agent,
- for getting rid of helminths, salmonella,
- for skin healing from burns.
Lemon monarda is used in cooking:
- to give a lemon flavor to some dishes, in particular desserts, cheesecakes, cookies, cakes,
- for fish dishes, salads, sauces.
- to decorate side dishes, since flowers are considered edible,
- and pieces of leaves can be frozen with ice cubes and added to drinks (watch the video).
In fields and meadows, in gardens and flower beds, a gentle lilac flower with a subtle citrus scent called monarda. Latin name Monarda.
This name unites a whole botanical genus of herbs and belongs to the Lamiaceae family.
The name of this genus was given by the Swedish naturalist and physician of the 18th century Carl Linnaeus in honor of the Spanish scientist and physician of the 16th century Nicholas Monardes, who published a work in 1574 on the new plants of America.
The monarda flower has a delicate citrus scent
Appearance
In the ranks of the varieties of the genus Monarda, there are also annuals and perennials.
Here is a list of the main external characteristicsinherent in the entire botanical genus:
- Stems are straight and branched. Reach up to 15 cm - 150 cm.
- The leaves are lanceolate and light green in color. The location is opposite. The length reaches from 6 to 15 cm, and the width is from 3 to 8 cm. The ends of the leaves are pointed.
- Inflorescences are basket-shaped. They consist of several flower whorls up to 6-7 cm in diameter.
- Flowers are small funnel-shaped tubes. Painted mainly in lilac, violet, lilac and red. Blooms from June to September.
- Fruits are double dry nuts.
Ground stems are long and horizontal
The leaves of the monarda are large, serrated, oblong
Flowers are collected in one or more inflorescence-heads, color from lilac to red shades
Fruits are located in the place of a flower in the form of dry nuts
Kinds
Botanical genus Monarda includes about 20 plant varieties. Many of them are often used in gardening.
The most popular are:
- Lemon.
- Double.
- Fisty.
- Point.
- Dwarf.
- Fragrant.
- Average.
- Russell.
- Soft.
- Bradbury.
- Red.
- Comb.
- Scattered.
Lemon monarda is more often used as an ornamental and spicy plant.
The herb monarda bilate has a bergamot scent and is used as a tea
The aerial part of the fistus monarda is used in canning and for pickles
Where grows
The origin of this plant belongs to countries North America... This flower was brought to Europe by Spanish sailors after Columbus discovered the New World. Thanks to its decorativeness and aroma, it has spread throughout the continent, including in the territory of our country.
Today the monard grows almost everywhere
Method for making spices
Eating monarda spices is one of the many uses for this herb.
To make spices from this plant, you need:
- Collect monarda during flowering. It was at this time that it contained the maximum content of essential oil.
- Cut off the stems no shorter than 25 cm from the soil.
- Dry and grind.
- You need to store it, like other spices, in a tightly closed dry container.
For long-term use, the monarda is dried and stored in a tightly closed container.
Contraindications
As with any other medicinal herb, when using monarda, you should also be careful.
- If consumed excessively, it can cause adverse reactions.
- Do not use if pregnant or nursing.
- Has an age limit: not for children under 5 years old.
- It is not advised to use aroma lamps with monarda in rooms with small children and women in position.
Features:
Most characteristic properties of all types of monarda are:
- Mint-lemon aroma, inherent mainly in the trunks and flowers of the plant.
- A honey-bearing property, due to which butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds (in those places where they are found) always circle over the flower.
- The third important quality of the monarda, characteristic of the entire genus, is that all flowers contain a huge supply of essential oil. The most meaningful flower in this regard is Monarda didyma.
The monarda flower has an alluring scent for insects and even hummingbirds
Useful properties of essential oil
Monard oil helps with various diseases, especially good for depression
If necessary and desired, monarda oil extract can be made at home. This extract is useful during a runny nose and is suitable as a bactericidal agent for treating injuries and wounds.
To make this extract:
- Mix any refined vegetable oil and dried parts of the monard flower in a 1:10 ratio.
- Prepare a water bath and keep the oil mixture on it for a couple of hours.
- Then refrigerate and strain. The healing oil mixture is ready.
Many of the medicinal qualities of monarda essential oil can be observed in the oils of other herbs. For example, tea tree oil has similar medicinal properties and is also widely used in cosmetology. Aromatic and medicinal properties lavender and clove oils are also similar to the features of bee balm oil. However, only this oil can normalize the oxygen level in the cells of the body.
Monarda oil is a remedy that is unique in its healing properties:
- it is the first and last oil that has been scientifically proven to treat radiation sickness and protect against radiation. People with radiation sickness are advised to drink teas with bee balm oil.
- this tea also helps people with cancer after chemical therapy.
However, only a doctor can prescribe such people to drink this tea.
Monarda oil is widely used in cosmetology
Also, monarda oil is used in the following cases:
- During acute respiratory diseases and bronchial asthma as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. You can be treated with aromatherapy, adding drops of oil to aroma lamps, or inhalation.
- To enhance the effect of antibiotics and speed up the healing process. To increase the effect of aroma lamps, you can add eucalyptus oil there. For aroma lamps, a drop of monarda oil for 15 square meters will be enough. It should be noted that aroma lamps with monarda oil are contraindicated for pregnant women and children under 5-6 years old.
- For the treatment of wounds, burns, ulcers and even fractures. A mixture of oils helps with broken bones. To make it you need 10 ml. wheat germ oil, 5 drops of monard oil and 2 drops of lavender oil. The fracture site must be smeared with this mixture or a compress made from it. For wounds, you need to mix a teaspoon of vodka with five drops of monard oil and rinse the wound several times during the day.
- To get rid of worms. To do this, it is enough to mix 1 ml of glycerin oil and two drops of monarda oil. Spread on and rub them into your belly.
- From foot fungi. To do this, stir a tablespoon vegetable oil with a monard. 5 drops will be enough. Spread on problem areas of your feet and put on socks. Do not remove for 2-3 hours.
Monarda oil is a perfect remedy for worms, foot fungi, as well as for fractures, burns, ulcers
Monard oil can also be used:
- As an effective anti-aging agent. Due to its composition, it is able to quickly renew body cells and slow down the aging process. As an anti-aging remedy, it is ideal to massage with monarda oil, or add it to face and body creams. Rose and lime oils can be added to enhance the effect.
- For oily and dry skin. It normalizes the sebaceous glands, tightens pores and eliminates acne. Add a few drops of oil to toners and facial lotions and you will see the effect.
- It is an excellent tonic, a source of strength and vigor. Helps with chronic fatigue. To restore strength and energy, massage all parts of the body with monarda oil is suitable.
- On the farm for the destruction of mold. Dilute 15 drops of oil with 1 liter of water to remove black mold in living areas, which is often seen in damp homes. Spray rooms with this liquid at least once a week.
Monarda essential oil can not only take care of the skin and rejuvenate it, but also be used in the household, for example, against mold
Application
In cooking
In the kitchen, monarda can be used as:
- Preservative in pickles, preserves, jams and when storing vegetables in pantries;
- Greens in salads.
- Add to soups and main courses.
- Brew teas and soft drinks (cocktails).
Consider several recipes for using monarda in the kitchen.
Lemon mint tea
For tea you will need: crushed leaves and inflorescences of Oswego tea, boiling water. Pour 2 teaspoons of monarda with 250 ml of boiling water. Do not touch for about half an hour. Strain and drink 60 ml for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Monarda gives tea a lemon and bergamot aroma
Spring salad
Ingredients for a spring salad:
- 50 grams of fresh soft lemon mint twigs with leaves;
- 50 grams of green onions;
- 1 egg;
- 20 grams of sour cream,
- a pinch of salt.
Wash the branches and onions. Cut into small pieces. Add salt. Cut the egg into slices. Transfer the egg to the previously chopped onion with monarda. Pour sour cream over the salad and serve.
Dressing for cabbage soup, borscht
As a dressing, monarda can be added a few minutes (from 15 to 20 minutes) before the end of cooking. For borscht and cabbage soup, you can add 20-30 grams of monarda, both fresh and dry. Branches with leaves, and stems and inflorescences of a plant are suitable for this.
Buttermilk cocktail with monarda
Ingredients:
- 4 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon monarda
- 1 glass of water
Dilute buttermilk with water. Add monarda powder. Shake and let it brew for 10-15 minutes in a cool place. This cocktail can be drunk as a soft drink, such as kvass.
Apple jam
To make jam with monarda, you first need to boil sugar syrup. The syrup should be at least 3 liters and slightly thick. Take about 10 grams of fresh bee balsam leaves and flowers, grind and add to the sugar syrup. Boil and keep on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Take a few apples, wash and cut into wedges. Add 3 cups of chopped apples to the syrup and cook for a while until the desired consistency is obtained.
Use as a preservative
In medicine
Healing properties monards have been known since ancient times.
It can be used for:
- Cystitis, vaginitis;
- acute respiratory diseases, rhinitis, sinusitis, otitis media;
- various flu and pneumonia;
- fungal diseases of the skin of the extremities, eczema, psoriasis;
- pustular skin diseases (scab);
- respiratory tract diseases;
- tuberculosis;
- immunodeficiency states;
- atherosclerosis;
- stress;
- anemia, hypoxia;
- radiation sickness.
In addition, it improves digestion, kills bacteria, and rejuvenates. Due to its ability to oxidize, it reduces the high oxygen content in cells.
Monarda is effective for respiratory and fungal diseases and is good for anemia and stress
Below is a recipe for using bee balm essential oil for dermatitis and children's laryngotracheitis:
For the treatment of dermatitis, mix 0.001 L of Monarda oil, 0.002 L of laurel oil, 0.001 L of geranium oil and 0.0065 L of nut oil. Apply to problem areas at least 4 times a day until recovery.
Laryngotracheitis in children
With monarda essential oil, you can prepare nasal drops for children's laryngotracheitis. To do this, take 5 drops of monarda oil, Patagonian pine, spruce and one drop of eucalyptus oil. Add another 30 ml of oil hazelnut... Flush the nose with the solution sea \u200b\u200bsalt and drip 2 drops into each nostril. Repeat the procedure 3 times a day until recovery.
At home
Flowers of bee balm have found application in the household:
- It is put along with vegetables so that they are better stored in the pantry.
- The smoke of a burnt dry plant is fumigated fruit trees from aphids.
- Use it to sprinkle cabbage from caterpillars.
Monarda is used for spraying cabbage and repelling insects
Varieties
Monarda is very ornamental plant... On the basis of the species considered above, about 50 varieties and hybrids have been bred. All of them differ mainly in their color.
Consider several groups of varieties:
In the USA, Great Britain and Germany with a double and a fist monard created perennial varieties monards about 100 cm high.
Dwarf monarda varieties with red flowers: Cambridge Scarlet, Adam, Machojin, Cardinal, Steppe Blush, Sunset, Balance, Indian, Little Delight. Since the varieties are bred abroad, there may be other translations of the names of the same varieties. They reach no more than 20-30 cm in height. Among them "Squo" ("Indiana") is the most frost-resistant variety.
Pink flowers in the varieties "Fishez", "Croftway Pink", "Rouse Queen", "Cratley Pink".
Popular purple varieties of monarda: "Sinta-sinta", "Pony" (pale purple); Blaustrumpf and Blue Stocking (violet-purple). The "Pony" variety is the highest. Reaches up to 180 cm.
Monarda varieties Cardinal belongs to the dwarf species
Monarda Snow White is distinguished by white flowers
Monarda varieties balance also refers to dwarf no higher than 20 cm
- There are also burgundy flowers of the monarda: "Burgundy Moldova", "Prerinacht".
- Hybrids with white color: Snow White, Shnivitchen, Snow Maiden.
- There is a grade with lavender flowers: Elsieuse Lavande.
- And finally, varieties with purple flowers: "Capricorn" - 90 cm, reddish-purple.
- There is a variety "Lambada", which is grown for 1 year.
Growing
Bee balsam is a rather capricious plant, it can bloom in places under the sun and in slightly dark places. However, it is sensitive to the characteristics and content of the soil. Prefers slightly acidic and not very wet soil. They grow from 1 or more years. It can reproduce by roots once every three to four years in spring and autumn.
Lemon mint cultivation stages consists of correct fit, fertilization, loosening, watering, feeding, cutting and sheltering in winter:
- You can plant in gardens, vegetable gardens, flower beds and borders. Many designers love this plant for its ability to decorate the penumbral sides.
- When planting, fertilizing from nitrofus and lignohumate should be carried out.
- And after flowering, top dressing with superphosphate and calcium sulfate.
- Remove faded flower heads to prolong flowering.
- In winter, cut off all aboveground parts. And the roots are able to survive the winter and in the spring to grow the aerial part again.
In order for the monarda to delight you with its flowering, it is necessary to feed it and remove the faded tops
Monarda is susceptible to fungal diseases, especially Puccinia rnenthae. In case of damage to flowers grown for bouquets and decorations, preparations with copper are used. And for flowers grown for the purpose of subsequent use as food additives, it is advisable to process them with infusions of onions and tansy, garlic infusion and tops of tomatoes. May be overwhelmed powdery mildew, which may indicate over-fertilization above the norm and dryness of the soil.
If you grow monarda as an additive to food, then chemical preparations it is not worth processing
Monarda is good in the garden, but it should be protected from fungal diseases.
Do not forget to water the monarda more often, then its flowers will delight you longer
Monarda is a member of the Labium family, which got its name in honor of the botanist and doctor from Spain, Nicholas Monardes. This Spanish scientist first described the monarda plant and told about it to Europeans in his books "Medical History of Western India" and "Joyous News from the New World", calling it a Virginian soulmate or Canadian Origan.
Monarda's lemon scent has many virtues. With him, a person feels himself in a fresh and clean environment. Very attractive to any grower is the fact that many plants that do not belong to citrus can fill his flower garden with this smell. These include lemon balm, lemongrass, some thyme and basil.
However, the most pronounced similarity with citrus is the aroma of monarda, in addition, it contains various shades. That is why in England it is called bergamot, and the official name of one of the species is pronounced like "lemon monard".
Varieties and types of monrada
It has a size of 70-90 cm, although rare specimens can reach 100 cm in height. The stem is tetrahedral, erect, has ramifications. The leaves of the plant are oval, elongated, with teeth. The flowers of a plant can be varied color palette: these are bright red flowers, and snow-white, and deep purple, and bright pink. The inflorescences are 6-7 cm in diameter. They grow on the stem one after the other.
A herbaceous perennial plant that reaches a size of 0.7-1.5 m. The root is long, horizontal. The stem is tetrahedral, straight, has fine hairs. The leaves are pale green with pink veins, oblong, have large teeth. The flowers are collected in a capitate inflorescence, have a lilac or purple hue.
The plant belongs to the labiate family. The plant has a strong root, and is resistant to all diseases and pests. It is used as a seasoning for meat and salads. Also as a flavoring for making jams and many desserts.
This name connects all hybrids of varieties double and tubular. It is a perennial with a height of up to 100 cm. The color of flowers can be very varied: from white to purple. Also, the size of flowers is different: from small, collected in inflorescences, to large, single. Among the varieties of this hybrid there are a large number of sub-varieties that differ in flowering density, shade of leaves, as well as flowers.
This plant is also a perennial. Belongs to the family of luciferous. Possesses big amount branched stems, the height of which reaches 60-120 cm. The leaves have teeth. The flowers are lilac, they look like small balls, the diameter of which is about 6 cm.
The plant is a hybrid. Perennial, reaches a size of 80-100 cm. It has a long horizontal root, straight stem. The leaves are pale green, opposite each other, have short petioles. The flowers have a deep red color, collected in a capitate inflorescence. All parts of the plant have a lemon-mint tart aroma. The plant is used as in medicinal purposesand as a seasoning. The variety is resistant to cold as well as diseases and pests.
Herbaceous perennial that has unique flowers... Belongs to the labiate family. The height of the bush ranges from 700-900 cm, some specimens can reach up to 120 cm. Leaves are oblong, with pointed tips. Possess in green and a pleasant aroma. On the stem, they are located opposite each other in pairs. The flowers are small, have a pleasant aroma, and are collected in capitate inflorescences.
A compact plant with pink, rather large flowers, collected in capitate inflorescences. The bush is undersized, only 40 cm tall. The plant is compact, suitable for growing in containers. All parts of the plant have a pleasant scent. Its leaves are used to make tea.
Herbaceous perennial plant. The stems are tetrahedral, the height of the bush is up to 150 cm. The flowers can be of various shades, but they are all collected in capitate inflorescences.
This small plant, which reaches a size of 30-35 cm, has flowers collected in a dense plume. Has a pronounced bergamot aroma. Used for growing in flower beds. The leaves are used as a spice.
If you look at the plant from afar, it may seem that huge spiders with furry paws are sitting on the plant. Such a plant has flowers. All parts of the plant exude an extraordinary aroma, so they are used as a spice. Among other things, the flower looks gorgeous in bouquets.
Perennial, which has a long root, the stems of the plant are tetrahedral, reaching a height of 150 cm. Flowers are white, collected in dense whorled inflorescences. They are used for group plantings in flower beds, and also looks great in bouquets.
Herbaceous perennial. The plant has the shape of a bush with numerous straight stems. Differs in long and abundant flowering. Large, capitate inflorescences have a much disheveled appearance. The color is both pale pink and deep red. Gardeners appreciate the plant not only for its beauty, but also for its medicinal and taste qualities... It is used to make tea. On a flowerbed, it looks gorgeous in group plantings.
Reaches a height of about 100 cm, flowers have a red tone. Used to decorate flower beds in group plantings, looks great in bouquets.
The plant has the shape of a bush with a straight stem, the height of which is 70-120 cm, the stem is tetrahedral, the leaves have a pleasant smell.
It is a herbaceous perennial with silvery green leaves and two purple-purple flowers. The height of the bush is about 100 cm.
A herbaceous perennial plant with a pleasant lemon scent. Forms bushes up to 45 cm in diameter. Small lilac flowers, collected in whorled inflorescences. His appearance resemble candelabra. A distinctive feature of the hybrid is long and abundant flowering.
Belongs to the family of luciferous. The flowers are pleasing in color and attractive in shape. The plant reaches a height of 110 cm. Distinctive feature the hybrid is its powerful stem and small dark green leaves. The flowers are bright red and have a fairly strong aroma.
Perennial pretty unpretentious plants... The flowers have a dense spherical shape and an unusual wine-red hue.
Monarda planting and care in the open field
This flower grows best in the sun, but it can grow in partial shade. True, in this case, its bushes will be lower, and flowering will be less abundant.
It is necessary to choose a place for planting plants that will be well protected from the effects of winds, since the stems can bend and bend, losing their beauty.
On hot days, the monarda should be watered moderately, in no case, avoiding waterlogging of the soil. Also, the plant does not like overdried soil.
To prevent the appearance of powdery mildew, it is necessary to water the plant in dry weather. If the summer is hot and dry, it is recommended to mulch the soil with peat.
Garden bergamot is one of the varieties of monarda. It is grown during planting and care without much hassle, subject to the rules of agricultural technology. All the necessary recommendations for growing and care can be found in this article.
Soil for monarda
Monarda is not particularly demanding on soils, but still prefers light calcareous fertile soils. Doesn't feel very well on heavy, acidic and marshy soils. It can also grow on poor soils, subject to constant feeding.
The soil for the future growth of the flower is prepared in the fall. The soil is dug up, weeds are removed and compost, manure or peat are applied in the amount of 2-3 kilograms per 1 m 2, superphosphate - 50 grams and potassium salt - 30 grams.
If the soil is acidic, then it is necessary to additionally add 40 grams of lime for each square meter... In the spring, the soil is enriched with nitrogen fertilization... Plants are planted 60-70 centimeters between rows to provide sufficient space for nutrition and growth.
Fertilizer for monarda
Plant feeding is carried out during the period of active growth and flowering. Also, the monarda needs additional feeding during the formation of new shoots and during the transition to the dormant period.
- In the spring, the plant should be fed with a complex of mineral fertilizers. After 12 days after that, repeat the procedure.
- In autumn, the monarda is fed with potash and phosphorus compounds.
- During active growth, it is allowed to apply foliar dressing... The leaves are sprayed with mineral fertilizers and microelements.
- When excessively high temperature air, the plant is treated with Epin's solution.
Monarda in winter
For the winter, the ground part of the plant must be completely cut off, and in the spring it will grow back.
The roots of the plant are frost-resistant and survive the winters perfectly without additional shelter.
Monarda growing from seeds
When growing monarda from seeds, they are sown in open ground in May to a depth of 1-2 centimeters. Consumption per square meter should be no more than 0.5 grams. In order to disperse the seeds more evenly, they are mixed with sand.
The seed germination temperature is 20 degrees. Seedlings of monarda grow very slowly at first. It is necessary to constantly weed them, preventing weeds from drowning. Young plants are transplanted, first at a distance of 10 centimeters from each other, and then at 20. Grown from seeds, the monarda does not bloom in the first year.
If desired, you can sow seeds in March to obtain seedlings. The ascended monards, two weeks later, dive according to the 3 × 3 centimeters scheme. It is possible to plant in open ground only after the threat of frost has passed. The distance between plants in one row is 30 centimeters, and between rows is 60 centimeters. Be sure to water during planting.
Reproduction of monarda by dividing the bush
For reproduction by dividing the bush, it is necessary to pick up a healthy plant, 3-4 years old. The bush is dug up and divided in the fall.
Each of the formed parts should have 3-4 shoots and roots. Delenki are planted, like seedlings, and watered several times.
They practice reproduction of monarda and root segments, considering this method the most effective.
Diseases and pests
When growing in a place that is too dry or over-fertilized, the plant is affected by powdery mildew. Rust can also occur.
For treatment, drugs based on copper are used. They are suitable only in the case of growing monarda for bouquets.
If the plant is eaten, then the processing is carried out by natural means - infusions of onions, garlic or tansy. In general, the flower is quite resistant to both diseases and pests.
Monarda medicinal properties and contraindications
Monarda essential oil is very valuable medicinally, especially if it comes about the fist monard, although the official and traditional medicine almost all species and varieties of this plant are successfully used.
Almost all of its zones are endowed with healing qualities - flowers, foliage, shoots. These include strengthening the immune system, toning the central nervous system, helping to improve well-being with weakness and fatigue, relieve stress, get rid of depression.
At the same time, the substances that make up the oil (in particular, thymol) help the body resist aging, strengthen the strength of the capillary walls, stimulate the diuretic system, and promote the expansion of coronary vessels and lower blood pressure.
Monarda has long been used as a fragrant and healthy spice that improves digestive function. In summer and autumn, when canning takes place, the stems are placed in jars to prevent spoilage of the products they contain.
Lemon monarda is an excellent salad dressing, but for the most part it is used as a flavoring for tea, fruit drink or kvass in order to impart a subtle lemon-resinous aroma to drinks.
Perennial plant with a straight stem, branched and about a meter high. The leaves are green, serrated, oblong-lanceolate, with large distances (about 5 cm) along the stem, from each other. Small tubular-funnel-shaped flowers are collected in one inflorescence round shape 5-6 cm. Monarda blooms without ceasing all summer.
If you search for information on sources on the Web, then Bergamot will be evergreen (a cross between an orange and a citron), the Rutov family from Southeast Asia.
The flowers are large, very fragrant, solitary or collected in a few-flowered axillary bundles, bisexual, white or purple, with a strong pleasant smell. Blooms in March - April. (Looks like orange flowers).
Fruits are spherical or pear-shaped, variable in size, with a navel and a club-shaped column 1 cm or more on it, golden-yellow, with a smooth thick three-layer shell, rich in essential oil. It has a pleasant sour taste. The fruits ripen in November - December.
It turns out that our bergamot, what we call Bergamot and what we buy in the store and use in cooking, which looks like grass with flowers, looks more like mint and is actually called Monarda, from the family Lamb.
Beautiful honey plants with very fragrant leaves and flowers. Monarda looks great in group garden plantings and is very decorative when cut
A lot of useful properties, like all plants:
Monarda has long been used as a fragrant and healthy spice that improves digestion; it contains valuable substances (including vitamins (C, B1, B2) and has medicinal properties... Fresh monarda is used in homeopathy. Monarda extracts have antibiotic properties, and the essential oil is bactericidal and has anthelmintic activity. Monarda fistus is used to treat bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, radiation sickness. It also turned out that the essential oil of this type of monarda promotes the treatment of salmonella infection.
I am a conventional gardener, an experimenter, there is nowhere to turn around. What to do, pulls to the ancestors, to the earth. Genetics, how to get away with it, no way * serious smile *. So it turns out that at every opportunity, I grow something. I do not have enough nature, I want my eyes to rest on something. Now, due to the limited space, all my attempts end with a windowsill and a balcony.
This time I'll tell you about such a well-known and beloved by many herb - bergamot. Everyone drank tea with him. I, at one time, for several years, only with him. Now not, if I add it myself, from the "bush". It is very difficult to buy with natural, and not with "aroma".
Seeds are sold, and they are called Bergamot Monarda, it can still be added:
fragrant monard (M. clinopodia), medium monard (M. media), Russell's monard (M. russeliana), soft monard (M. mollis), Bradbury monard (M. bradburiana), point monard (M. punctata), red monard (M. rubra), crested monard (M. restinata), scattered monard (M. dispersa), etc.
Grown by the most in the usual way, seeded into the ground. It happens one-year and long-term.
I grew it out of a bush of greenery that I bought at the grocery store. The most common herb-seasoning "Live spices BERGAMOT (Lemon Monarda), from Moscow.
It looked like this, I think many people bought:
Here is such a root, if planted in a pot with soil, most often grows and gives shoots:
Seasoning "live", in a pot with roots, which I always regret to throw away and try to give them a "second life" by planting in pots. It happened several times, now I have bergamot and mint growing and blooming.
Many do not even know that, having injured a hand, you can help yourself right next to the beds: crumple a monarda leaf and apply it to the wound for a while or treat it with juice. And in summer and autumn, during the canning period, it is good to put the shoots of this plant in a jar, thus preventing damage to the product. Monarda essential oil is believed to completely inhibit the growth of black mold.
Of course, we add to tea. Black, green, other drinks.
Flowers are so generally pleasing me for the third month, they are not going to finish blooming. They do not smell very much, more precisely - they smell very much, spices, literally "Provencal herbs", if you stick your nose into the flower itself.
It all started like this, I didn't expect my grass to bloom:
