Can Little Bee Balm Be Grown in a Pot?

Preparation

• Prepare a sturdy pot for bee balm, as the plant may reach a height of 2 to 4 feet, depending on the variety. Use a container with a drainage hole as bee balm, like most herbs, requires excellent soil drainage. A container with a diameter of at least 12 inches is best. Use a larger container if you want to plant two bee balm plants. Fill the container with a well-drained commercial potting mix. A handful of perlite or sand added to the mix improves drainage.

Planting Bee Balm

• While bee balm is often started by planting seeds, many gardeners prefer bedding plants, which are ready for planting and add instant color. Read the nursery tag and choose a small variety with a mature height of around 2 feet, which is easier to grow in containers. Look carefully at the depth the bee balm is planted in the nursery container, then plant the bee balm at the same depth in your patio container. Water bee balm after planting.

General Care

• Place the container is full sunlight. While bee balm tolerates light shade, sunshine results in a brighter, healthier plant. While bee balm planted in the ground rarely requires supplemental irrigation, bee balm growing in pots requires water more frequently. Feel the soil to be sure the soil is dry, then water thoroughly until water runs through the drainage hole. Fertilize bee balm sparingly, as too much fertilizer creates a full plant with fewer, smaller blooms. Bee balm is fertilized by adding slow-release fertilizer to the potting mixture at planting time, or by regular use of a liquid garden fertilizer diluted to half strength. Refer to the fertilizer label for specific application.

Maintenance

• Bee balm blooms longer when faded blooms are regularly pinched from the plants, as leaving the blooms on the plant signals the plant that it's time to stop blooming and develop seeds. Pinch off the wilted blooms, and include the stem down to the next leaf. Prune bee balm down to about 2 inches after the first hard frost in autumn. Although bee balm is cold-hardy, a large handful of mulch on top of the potting mixture insulates the roots. Place the pot in a sheltered area away from harsh wind. An area in a sheltered corner of your garden or a location near a building is beneficial.