<i>Monarda </i>plant named ‘Pardon My Rose’

Abstract

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental cultivar of bee balm plant named Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Rose’ has short, compact, basally branching stems, dark green foliage with strong resistance to powdery mildew and numerous large flower heads of intense rose-pink-colored flowers creating excellent flower coverage. The new plant is attractive and useful in the garden landscape as a specimen, en masse, or as a container plant.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental bee balm plant named Monarda ‘Pardon My Rose’, as herein described and illustrated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of ‘Pardon My Rose’ and the overall appearance of the plant at three-years old in the full sun trial garden of a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flowers.

(3) FIG. 2 shows the new plant in flower in the landscape.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(4) The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Rose’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on three-year old greenhouse-grown plants in gallon containers at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed but without plant growth regulators or pinching. Botanical classification: Monarda didyma; Parentage: The parent is the proprietary hybrid known only as 14-47-1; Plant habit: Winter-hardy herbaceous perennial, compact, producing several stems spreading by short rhizomes; to 40 cm tall at flowering and 70 to 80 cm wide; flowering begins mid-summer in Michigan and continuing for about 5 to 8 weeks; Propagation: Stem cuttings; Time to produce finished crop in 3.8-liter pots: About 8 to 10 weeks; vigorous rate of growth; Root: Fine, fibrous and freely branching; color creamy white to tan depending on soil type; Leaves: Simple, lanceolate, opposite, serrated, puberulent above and below; lustrous above, matte below; acute apex, rounded to cordate base; to about 6.5 cm long and about 3.5 cm wide, decreasing distally, average about 6.0 cm long and 3.0 cm wide; Leaf color: Young expanding leaves nearest RHS 138B on adaxial surface and on abaxial surface nearest RHS 138D; mature adaxial leaves between RHS 139A and RHS 136A and abaxial leaves nearest RHS 144A; Foliage fragrance: Pleasantly herbal; Veins: Pinnate; pubescent below with minute puberulent above, slightly sunken above and raised below; Vein color: Mature adaxial midrib and primary veins between RHS 145A and RHS 146D, secondary adaxial veins between RHS 139A and RHS 136A; mature abaxial midrib and primary veins between RHS 145D and RHS 145C, secondary abaxial veins nearest RHS 145B; emerging adaxial midrib and primary veins nearest RHS 138C, secondary veins on emerging abaxial surfaces same color as surrounding leaf tissue; emerging abaxial midrib and primary veins nearest RHS 145D, secondary veins nearest RHS 145B; Petiole: Puberulent, slightly concavo-convex; to about 4.5 mm long and 2.5 mm across, decreasing distally; Petiole color: Nearest RHS 138D with slight anthocyanin blush of nearest RHS N187A adaxial, nearest RHS 138D abaxial; Stems: Quadrangular, puberulent, to about 4.0 mm across at base and about 37 cm long; Stem color: Basal portion between RHS 146C and RHS 138B, distal portion in higher sun exposure nearest RHS 146B with light to moderate anthocyanin blush of nearest RHS 187A with the greater blush in regions of higher sun exposure; Branches: In lower nodes; quadrangular, puberulent, typically three to four per main stem at initial flowering; about 2.0 mm across at base and to about 30 cm long; Branch color: Proximally between RHS 145A and RHS 14 with moderate to light anthocyanin blush of nearest RHS 187A with greater sun exposure; Nodes: About 12 to 16 per stem; Node color: Nearest RHS 145A with thin bands of nearest RHS 187A above and below when exposed to high sun level; Flowers: Single, labiate, actinomorphic flowers arranged in terminal verticillate head about 68.0 mm across and 40.0 mm tall, opening from the center and progressing outwardly and downwardly; individual flowers to about 37.0 mm long to exserted anthers; corolla to about 36.0 mm long, 15.0 mm tall and 5.0 mm across; numerous, about 80 to 120 flowers per head; flower altitude upright in center of head to outwardly toward the perimeter, slightly arcuate distally; self-cleaning; Flower lasting: Individual flowers persisting about 5 days in Michigan, head remains effective for 2 to 3 weeks; Flower period: Usually late June into August; about six to seven weeks; Flower fragrance: None observed; Buds one to two days prior to opening: Narrowly oblanceolate; tubular; rounded apex; arcuate slightly downward in distal half; about 24.0 mm long, about 3.0 mm across in the middle and about 5.0 mm tall; Bud color one to two days prior to opening: Between RHS 63B and RHS 63C; Petals: Bilabiate; arcuate downward; fused in proximal 12.0 mm, split in two in about the distal 15.0 mm; puberulent abaxial and glabrous adaxial except pubescent in center 3 to 5 mm of lower lip; Upper labium: Folded into a hood about 14.0 mm long from fusion and 2.5 mm across and 3.0 mm tall just beyond fusion; Lower labium: About 15.0 mm long beyond fusion, comprising three lobes including two side lobes about 1.0 mm long and 2.0 mm across having rounded apex entire margin, and center lobe to about 5.0 mm long and 2.0 mm wide, bent upwardly at base, with emarginate apex split in the distal 1.0 mm and entire margin; Petal color: Basal 4.0 mm of corolla tube nearest RHS N155C both adaxial and abaxial; upper labium adaxial between RHS 63B and RHS 63C, abaxial nearest RHS 63A; lower labium adaxial between RHS 63B and RHS 63C with spots of between RHS 63B and RHS 63A, abaxial between RHS 63B and RHS 63C, distal 1.0 mm of center lobe nearest RHS 69C both adaxial and abaxial; outer corolla tube adaxial nearest RHS 63C, and abaxial nearest RHS 63B; Floral bracts: Two sets of between 5 and 7 subtending flower head; proximal set deltoid to lanceolate, with acuminate to narrowly acute apex and sessile truncate base, to about 29.0 mm long and 10.0 mm wide; distal set lanceolate with narrowly acute apex and sessile truncate base, to about 12.0 mm long and 3.0 mm wide near base; Floral bract color: Variable; both sets abaxial and adaxial between RHS 187A and RHS 187B and both sets adaxial and abaxial nearest RHS 146B with variable amount of anthocyanin in the center of nearest RHS 187B; Androecium: Two; Filaments.—Two, to about 36.0 mm long by 0.3 mm diameter; color proximally nearest RHS 69B, distally lighter than RHS 69D. Anther.—Oblong elliptic, dorsifixed, longitudinal; 3.0 mm by 1.0 mm; color nearest RHS N77A. Pollen.—Abundant, elliptic to globose, less than 0.1 mm; color nearest RHS 18D. Gynoecium: One per flower; about 37.0 mm long at maturity, exserted; Style.—About 34.0 mm by 0.3 mm; color proximally nearest RHS 69B, distally lighter than RHS 69D. Stigma.—Split in two in the distal 2.0 mm, 0.2 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 69D. Ovary.—1.0 mm by 0.75 mm; color between RHS 143D and RHS 144B. Calyx.—Tubular to campanulate, consisting of five fused sepals; about 9.0 mm long and 2.0 mm diameter at apex. Sepals: Five; apiculate apex; basal 7.0 mm fused forming corolla tube; about 9.0 mm long and 1.0 mm across at fusion; glabrous adaxial and abaxial; Sepal color: Adaxial and abaxial distally nearest RHS N186C; adaxial proximally nearest RHS 138C, abaxial proximally nearest RHS 138C with slight tinting of RHS N186C and darker veins of nearest RHS 138A; Peduncle: Pubescent, stiff, strong, erect, quadrangular to about 0.3 cm across just above last leaves and to about 85.0 mm long; Peduncle color: Variable depending on sun exposure; between RHS 138B and RHS 138C in low sun exposure, nearest RHS 146B with light to moderate anthocyanin blush of nearest RHS 187A in high sun exposure; Fruit: Single nutlet, elliptical, about 1.0 mm long and 0.7 mm wide; Hardiness: The new plant grows best with plenty of moisture and adequate drainage; hardy to at least from USDA zone 4 through 8; Disease and pest resistance: Demonstrated strong powdery mildew resistance (Sphaerotheca pannosa var. rosa) in side-by-side comparison at least equal or better than that of ‘Petite Delight’ and ‘AChall’.