Bee Balm Seeds

Bee Balm Seeds for Planting: Wild Bergamot for Pollinators and Hummingbirds

Few perennials work as hard in a pollinator garden as bee balm. Our collection of bee balm seeds features two wild bergamot types from the mint family, with aromatic leaves and nectar-rich flowers that draw bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all summer. These bee balm flower seeds are heirloom, open-pollinated, and non-GMO, and both varieties tolerate heat and cold once established, so a single planting can anchor a pollinator bed, a prairie-style border, or a wild corner beside the vegetable garden for years to come.

Bee Balm Seed Varieties: Wild Bergamot and Spotted Wild Bergamot

Wild Bergamot is the classic, with shaggy lavender-pink flower heads on plants that reach two to four feet and slowly spread into generous clumps. Its foliage carries a scent somewhere between oregano and mint, which makes the patch pleasant to brush past. Spotted Wild Bergamot is the quirkier of the two, with tiered, pale yellow flowers freckled in purple and topped with pink-purple bracts. It prefers lean, sandy, well-drained soil and tends to be shorter lived, so letting a few plants drop seed keeps the patch going. Both want full sun, and one of the two is a good candidate for a large container, so check each listing before you decide where to plant.

Growing Bee Balm from Seed: Light, Patience, and Room to Spread

Growing bee balm from seed is easy but unhurried. The seeds are tiny and need light to germinate, so scatter them on the surface of moist soil or seed starting mix and barely cover them. Seedlings usually appear in two to three weeks. You can start seeds indoors about eight to ten weeks before your last frost, sow outdoors once frost has passed, or scatter seed in fall and let winter do some of the work, since a stretch of cold improves germination even though it isn't required. Expect leafy growth the first year, with blooms often waiting until the second. Giving each plant about a foot of room sets the stage for a full clump. The Seedtime garden planning software builds a planting calendar around your frost dates, and the layout planner helps you map where a perennial patch can stay put for good.

Buy Bee Balm Seeds with One Shipping Charge

When you buy bee balm seeds here, you can add seeds from multiple suppliers to the same order and pay one flat shipping charge, or qualify for free standard shipping on Seedtime-fulfilled orders of $49 or more to the lower 48 states. Paid Seedtime members get 20% off seed packets marked "Fulfilled by Seedtime" and 5% off everything else in the store. You can start planning for free, and if you want unlimited calendars and layouts along with those store discounts, compare Seedtime's plans to find the right fit. Whether you want a single bee balm seed packet for a pollinator corner or both types for a longer border, it all ships together.