5.2 Perennials

56
PERENNIALS
Mentha spicata L.
(syn. Mentha longifolia of auth., not (L.) Huds.)
spearmint, baume, menthe crepue, menthe verte
per. -37° to -29° C Jul-Aug 60 cm N
Value for honey: an important source where this is naturalized 72 .
Honey: see Mentha.
Notes: widely cultivated as a sweet herb and for essential oils; found in wet places,
near habitation throughout Canada 23 .
Monarda punctata L.
horsemint, bergamot, dotted mint
per. -21° to -15° C Jul 90 cm N
Value for honey: H yields of 9-45 kg/colony/season reported 50; a dependable yielder 72 ;
some of the other bergamots (e.g. M. didyma L., bee balm or Oswega tea) have corollas
too long to allow the honeybee to successfully reach the N 72 .
Honey: is light amber in colour, clear, flavour is decidedly minty 72 .
Notes: more common in e. Canada; sometimes cultivated; flowers are yellow and
purple; prefers light to sandy soil.
Muscari botryoides (L.) Mill.
common grape hyacinth, muscari botryoide
per. (bulb) -50° to -29° C Apr-May 30 cm NP 36
Value for honey and pollen: very attractive to honeybees 35 .
Notes: will colonize in grass; easy culture; found naturally in pastures, fields, roadsides
and fence-rows, spread from cultivation, N.E. and beyond Can. limit 23 .
Myosotis scorpioides L.
true forget me not, myosotis, ne m'oubliez pas, souvenez vous de moi
per. (short lived) -37° to -29° C May-Jun 30-80 cm NP
Notes: could be mixed with the cv. semperfiorens which blooms from Jul-Aug; in quiet
water or wet ground, Nfld. to Ont., S. to N.S., N.E. also Pacific coast 23 .
Nepeta cataria L.
catnip, catmint, chataire, herbe a chats
per. -37° to -29° C Jul-Sep 90 cm N
Value for honey: HP4/5 16 ; one of the best garden bee plants known 35 . In spite of a
low N sugar concentration (i.e. 22%), bees have been observed to visit catnip even
when they have access to Melilotus alba (white sweet clover) 94 . Each flower secretes
only a small amount of N, but when massed, they invite a large number of foraging
bees 94 .
Honey: disagreement about colour, granulates smoothly; flavour is piquant 16 .
Notes: grown as a garden ornamental and not as a herb; relished by cats as well as bees
(i.e. the former like to roll in it); spreads naturally along some roadsides; flowers white
and pale purple; weeds of old homesteads, gardens and waste land 23.
Nepeta mussinii K. Spreng. ex Henckl.
per. -37° to -29° C (?) Jun-Aug 30-45 cm N
Value for honey: HP5 16 ; similar to Nepeta cataria L. (catmint).
Notes: confused in the trade (i.e. by nurseries and garden centres) with what is now
termed N. x faassenii Bergman ex Steam (Persian ground ivy), but differs in being