Lemon Beebalm

Monarda citriodora

native · Hill Countrysold locally

Lemon Beebalm is an annual wildflower native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 1–2 ft tall and 0.5 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water, and handles clay soil. Blooms white, pink and purple in May–Jul. Deer rarely browse it. Good for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Will it grow in your yard?

Enter your ZIP. The finder checks Lemon Beebalm against your microclimate, then ranks it against your sun, your watering and deer pressure.

The facts

5 sources

Type: Annual wildflower
Sun: Full sun to part shade (4–8 hrs of direct sun)
Water: Low
Height: 1–2 ft
Spread: 0.5 ft
Bloom: May–Jul · white, pink, purple
Foliage: Deciduous or dies back in winter
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on clay, dry, limestone, loam, sand
Deer: High — deer rarely browse it
Wildlife: Supports butterflies and hummingbirds

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low TerracesLimestone Cut PlainSan Antonio Prairie

5,410 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

2.5–4.5 inch pots

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.