The Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm, otherwise known as the Monarda Didyma ‘Balbalmac’ Plant Patent #26,594 or Stripe-Leaved Banana, Blood Banana, Musa zebrina, Musa acuminata subsp. zebrina, is a rather well known fruit plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its average maintenance and fast growth, this fruit will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its dark green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, taking care of your Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm is not too difficult – as long as you follow our guidelines in this Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm Care Guide. Now let’s get started.
The basic care guidelines you need to remember for your Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm are the following:
- Water: The Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm grows best with regular watering to keep the soil moist during the dry season. Reduce watering once the plant is established.
- Light: Keep your Monarda Didyma ‘Balbalmac’ Plant Patent #26,594 in an environment where it can receive partial to full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
That’s it – sunlight, water and soil! The basic 3 fundamentals for all plant care, and with the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm this is no exception. With these three elements, your leafy friend will live healthy and happy.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm belongs to the Musaceae family, the genus Musa and the species Acuminata, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Monarda Didyma ‘Balbalmac’ Plant Patent #26,594 (mo-NAR-da DID-ee-muh).
As with other Musa’s, the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm is a herbaceous plant, which means it will die back to the ground every year.
Growing Region
The Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm is a plant native to the Southeast Asia.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend to always keep in mind your plants’ native region and environment, since these are the conditions that your Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm is most accustomed to, thus where it can most favorably.
With this in mind, the Monarda Didyma ‘Balbalmac’ Plant Patent #26,594 will be most used to regions where the plant hardiness level falls between 10b, 10a, 11b, 11a and the ideal climate zone is between 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1, H2.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, how big does the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm actually get? What should you expect in terms of size? Let’s dive right in…
The Monarda Didyma ‘Balbalmac’ Plant Patent #26,594 can grow up to 5′ – 6′ (150cm – 180cm) in 5′ – 6′ (150cm – 180cm) and 5′ – 6′ (150cm – 180cm) in 5′ – 6′ (150cm – 180cm).
These dimensions make the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm a relatively large fruit compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 60″ – 72″ (150cm – 180cm) free so the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Monarda Didyma ‘Balbalmac’ Plant Patent #26,594 grows best with regular watering to keep the soil moist during the dry season. Reduce watering once the plant is established.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
In our experience, the famous ‘thumb’ or ‘finger’ test is what works best for the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm since with it, you will be able to give it the right amount of water, every time – regardless of the environment or placement where you do decide to keep it.
Soil Mix
The Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm’s ideal soil potting mix is made out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm requires partial to full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this fruit will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Monarda Didyma ‘Balbalmac’ Plant Patent #26,594 in full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a herbaceous plant, the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm will die back to the ground every year.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (early, mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Flowers
In particular, this fruit is well known for its fragrant, flowers for cutting and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm produces some beautiful purplish-pink flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm have a beautiful dark green color during most of the year.
Garden
Does your Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Most Monarda Didyma ‘Balbalmac’ Plant Patent #26,594 owners agree that this fruit will look great in most cottage gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of mediterranean garden styles.
In particular, the Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm’s best location within your garden is in patio and containers, others use it for landscaping in a cutting garden, border, mass planting, container, firescaping/fire wise, or a very wet areas.
Companion Plants
Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Iris, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Juncus will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Balmy™ Lilac Bee Balm, remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
