Why We Love It:
The daughter of our founder (now CEO) grew up on the edge of a beautiful mountain meadow filled with wildflowers. Growing up, she knew this plant as horsemint and would wander through fields of the fuzzy purple flowers, gathering a bouquet just to smell the peppery-sweet aroma all day long. There is no other flower that evokes memories of her childhood the way that horsemint does. The mid-July brightness of every Rocky Mountain meadow was in part thanks to bee balm.
What It Looks Like:
Monarda fistulosa is in the mint family and can be recognized by its square stem, opposite leaves, and feathery purple flowers. It generally grows in large clusters on the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains below 8,500 feet. It can often be found in sunny meadows or near dry creek bottoms.
