Pardon My Purple Bee Balm (Monarda didyma 'Pardon My Purple')
mo-NAR-dah DID-ih-mah 'Pardon My Purple'

Deciduous Perennial Upright, Compact in the Lamiaceae Family
A compact Walters Gardens hybrid bred from two other Monarda didyma cultivars, with short branching stems and richly colored dark fuchsia flowers.
Pardon My Purple is a compact Monarda didyma hybrid bred by Kevin Hurd of Walters Gardens, crossing the cultivars 'Grand Parade' (seed parent) and 'Grand Marshall' (pollen parent). It forms short, densely branching stems topped with dark fuchsia flowers over a long summer bloom period of roughly 8 weeks, with powdery-mildew-resistant, dark green foliage.

Pros

  • Long summer bloom period, roughly 8 weeks
  • Dark fuchsia flowers on mildew-resistant, dark green foliage
  • Compact, densely branching habit

Cons

  • Hybrid origin, so seedlings (if it self-sows) won't come true to type
  • Benefits from good air circulation despite bred-in mildew resistance
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 10 - 12 inches tall. 7 - 9 inches wide.
Growth Rate Moderate
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 3a - 8b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Bees, Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Attracts Wildlife, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Fragrant Foliage, Full Sun, Good for Butterfly Garden, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Mass Planting, Good for Rain Garden, Medium, Nativar, Non-Allergenic, Normal Soil, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Showy Flowers, Tolerant of Loamy Soil, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Well-Drained Soil
Bloom Period July to August
Flower Color Dark Fuchsia
 

In The News

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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/03 - 10/04
2024 : 04/04 - 10/05
2023 : 03/02 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!