Monarda didyma is a bee magnet in my garden.

In full bloom now, clumps of "Cambridge Scarlet" are literally buzzing with fat bumblebees, their pollen sacs bulging. One afternoon I noticed a couple of bees resting on the fence, obviously tuckered out from gathering food. I have smaller clumps of "Marshall's Delight" and "Petite Delight" scattered around the garden, but the "Raspberry Wine" disappeared after one year. Hummingbirds and butterflies adore monarda, too.

Brush against the foliage and it smells like Earl Gray tea. That's because the tea contains bergamot oil, and bergamot is another name for monarda. A native American plant and member of the mint family, plant historians say monarda was named after a 16th century Spanish botanist, Nicholas Monardes. They surmise that Monardes called the plant wild bergamot because the fragrance resembled Italian bergamot.

Native Americans used the plant to make tea. Historians also claim American colonists substituted monarda for tea after the Boston Tea Party. The common name "bee balm" comes from the fact that the flowers were used in a balm to soothe bee stings. Many herb enthusiasts use the leaves for tea and potpourris, and the flower stems last for a long time in arrangements.

Monarda can fall prey to powdery mildew, but that's late in the summer, after the insets have eaten their fill and the flowers are fading. It grows in large, satisfying clumps that must be periodically divided (usually every three or four years). Over the years, I've planted, dug and divided numerous clumps.

Park Seeds recently introduced a new variety of monarda, "Red Shades," certified to be "true-to-type" from seed. It is a single-color bee balm (red, of course) that produces up to 1 3/4-inch blooms on 2- to 4-foot plants, and each plant bears up to 20 long stems. It sounds appealing, and may be worth trying.

Like most members of the mint family, monarda can be invasive, but it invades fairly slowly and can easily be dug up. Division can be done in spring or fall, but I prefer late summer and early fall, which gives the new divisions time to get a foothold before winter. Powdery mildew can be kept somewhat at bay by spacing plants at least 1 foot apart.

Reblooming can be encouraged by cutting off spent blossoms, but I've found a repeat bloom is sporadic, at best. In fall, trim monarda to about 1 to 2 inches tall. In spring, you can apply an all-purpose fertilizer or compost to give the plants a good start. It prefers full sun and rich, moist soil. Remember to give plants lots of air circulation, although newer varieties are more resistant to mildew.

Editor's note:

Sad news. After 30 years, Smith & Hawken garden stores are closing. The online store is already closed and no more catalogs will appear in the mailbox.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., which purchased Smith & Hawken in 2004 for about $70,000, has decided to close all 56 U.S. stores by year's end. No deal has been reached with potential buyers. The Web site and catalog center will accept no orders. Famous for garden accoutrements, ornaments, furnishings and plants, Smith & Hawken has been hammered by the recession. Sales were down 22 percent during the first two quarters of the fiscal year, and 700 employees will be losing their jobs.

The notice popped up in my e-mail, "Thank you and farewell from Smith & Hawken." Over the years I ordered a few odd garden ornaments and plants from S&H, and I loved thumbing through their catalog. I guess the market for $2,000-$3,000 teak garden benches just isn't there in these belt-tightening times.