Monarda punctata

With pink, pointed leaves forming an ornate collar around its flowering stem, dotted horsemint sports the whimsical look of a medieval jester. The plant’s spotted yellow flowers are small but intricate, positioned in whorls between the layers of pink leaves.

Growing best in sunny areas of dry to average moisture, dotted horsemint has good drought tolerance and does especially well in sandy soils. The plant tends to form a patch through spreading via seed onto adjacent soil. Not an aggressive species, dotted horsemint may be outcompeted by neighboring plants, especially taller, shade-producing plants. A good choice for tree lawns and other dry areas, dotted horsemint can also be used along garden borders and in spaces requiring short-statured species. In these places dotted horsemint adds a dimension of curiosity and charm, both in appearances and in the organisms it attracts.

Blooming primarily in August, dotted horsemint is famed for being one of the best loved plants of wasps. Observing the plant allows one to get a close-up view of these fascinating creatures as they stop in to get a drink of nectar. If a gardener is lucky, his or her dotted horsemint may gain the attention of four-banded sand wasps. These handsome pollinators are predators of the brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive pest that damages tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, and other food plants. Other wasps similarly help to control other pests, and it is thus advisable to plant dotted horsemint near one’s vegetable garden to attract these helpful allies.

Photo by Alyssa Zearley.