Today in the orchard
A balm for the bees, July 28, 2025
The native Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa or Wild Bergamot) is in nearly full bloom. Although it’s spread here and there throughout much of the farm, it especially loves the Finley Lane orchard. We now have thousands of plants. The light-lavender-purple flowers are not the brilliant red of the famous selected cultivars like “Jacob Cline”, but they are every bit as beautiful. The plants themselves are also incredibly rugged, outcompeting Bedstraw (Galium aparine) which has become one of the predominant species in the orchard (as well as one of our least favorites.) The word balm was co-opted from the French by the English in the Middle Ages. Of its multiple meanings, the one I like best is a “soothing restorative agency.” The orchard is certainly a balm for the soul and Monarda, a balm for the bees. The bloom season comes at a good time, coinciding with Queen Ann’s lace (Daucus carota). The Valerian and the Yarrow are now mostly gone by and the Goldenrods (Solidago) and Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicumare) are just getting geared up.
