Is there hope for this bee balm?

Hi all,

I'm posting a picture of my pitiful bee balm. I noticed today that it is getting some new leaves on top, but as you can see from the photo, its very gangly and unattractive. I never say that within earshot...I don't want to hurt its feelings. :) Should I cut it back?

Thanks everyone! Also, I'm posting a pic of something that's come up in my flower bed. My neighbor says that if it has red stems and you didn't plant it, to pull it up, but I wanted to consult the experts first. Pic to follow in another post.

Suz

I should add that the bee balm is about a foot tall.

How long has it been in the ground? Did it get the brown spots when you first planted it, or did they just start happening recently?

Some of the brown spots were present when I got the plant...those areas of the leaves feel dried out. They're crunchy. The plant has been in the ground since June 10th. I have this entire bed set up with a soaker hose and was out of town for almost 4 weeks after it was planted. DH saw to its watering, but he's not real keen on the signals that plants send out if they're in distress. I asked him if it had wilted while I was gone, but he didn't think so. I've been home 2 weeks and it's gotten the newer leaves in that time.

Suz

Don't worry about it this year, it's a perennial and may take a good while to settle in. I would pull back the wood chip mulch, however, and try something like straw next to the crown. Don' OVER WATER either. Monarda is a prairie plant, and likes good drainage.

Gotcha. I'm watering that bed for about an hour, one to two times a week. I'll pull the mulch back and keep an eye on it. Thank you!

Just a quick update on my bee balm. I pulled the mulch away from the base of the plant as was suggested by GJ. Today, when I got home from Denver, I was looking at all my friends and it has leafed out nicely and is about to bloom! Happy day!

Well done.
All I can think of is how it smells like Earl Grey.

Funny you should mention that...I *had* to pinch a leaf this morning for a good sniff. Lovely stuff.

I finally got outside with the camera this morning. Here's the bee balm as of today.

That basal growth looks really good. Have you fertilized at all? If not, you should stick to the P & K part of the N-P-K ration now. Everything will start to go dormant soon, and you don't want new growth to get damaged.