I believe I read somewhere last year about cutting beebalm back...And they had a large patch of it and cut it in the stairs affect...Has anyone done this and when do you do it.????? Probably now or maybe to late.....
Bee Balm
My red bee balm flowers around the 4th of July ( remember that date because the flowers look like little fireworks), so I wouldn't cut it back now. I've never cut mine back, though. The only perennial I cut back is asters, and I did that about a week ago.
Mine is blooming now. I don't cut it unless it flops over and the mower gets it. Comes back (and places you don't want it) every year
I just searched on line about cutting them back as I knew I had read something about that before....In the Master Gardeners article they recomended cutting the bee balm and also the coneflowers back when they are starting to bud...Cut 3-6 inches off. They said it would delay the blooming but they would be bushier and more flowers...So I have enough I can try on both and I think I will...I won't cut them all back..Just a few for an experiment for me..
You will have to let me know if this works. I have bee balm I received from a local plant exchange and they have yet to become a strong group of plants more like individuals popping up here and there. I have one lavender/purple, a new one which is supposed to be a burgundy red and one that has yet to bloom.
All the rain seems to be adversely affecting lavender one.
The only thing I would worry about with getting a tight group is powdery mildew. I got this with a jacob cline variety when I planted it in a small area surrounded by alot of other plants. Needless to say jacob is no longer with me.
No mildew on my Jacob Cline, I thought it was supposed to be mildew resistant?
Resistant doesn't mean it can't just that is inclined not too. It may have been infected before I even brought it home. Jacob cline was the first bee balm I ever bought as a beginning gardener so I wasn't quite sure what diseases infected which plants. The tag said easy growing, disease resistant ect...but there was phlox near it which did have the mildew. I have learned since to be very careful inspecting my plants before I purchase. I do leave more space between my bee balms and other plants too.
I've planted two petite varieties this year, and they both look good (one bigger than the other) but no blooms yet.
How tall do the petite varieties get? What color?
I think this is one of them
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56096/
and the other
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56096/
So far they look more like a bush than my Jacob Clines, which are just single plants
I like the color. If it stays bushy it could be a nice border plant. Let us know how it does.
Will do. I think they might be good in planters, also.
I cut mine in a stair effect. I don't cut the ones in the back at all. That way it doesn't delay bloom for all the flowers - just the ones in front, so it actually extends the bloom. : ) Mine always get powdery mildew and the lower leaves turn yellow and fall off. So this works better for me because the shorter bushier pieces in front hide the ugly stems in the back. I did already do mine but I don't think it's too late if you do it now.
Added - I also have Jacob Cline and it is one of the most resistant to mildew, however here, it gets it anyway. I have naturally dry soil and it gets humid here in the summer. It usually doesn't start to look real bad until the flowers are past peak so it doesn't bother me too much. I just have it in the back of the garden and cut it down when I can't stand looking at it any more.
This message was edited Jun 5, 2009 9:21 PM
I'm with Meridith, I cut mine back halfway after the blooms are spent. Powery mildew is un avoidable I think on things such as bebalm, zinnias, hollihocks in my zone due to the high, high humidity. We're nearby a large water body -- that intensifies the humidity problem.
