Monarda, Bee Balm, Beebalm, Bergamot, Firecracker Plant, Horsemint, Mountain Mint, Oswego Tea 'Marshall's Delight'

I planted three of these in my garden last year. Vigorous, bright pink flowers occurring in late spring, and dead-heading them caused a ...Read Moresecond blooming in August. This year, the one I had planted in part shade is small and looks like it is struggling, but the two in full sun are doing great. I'll probably need to divide them this year, they're starting to take up valuable real estate in my back yard. I love the unique scent which comes from both the flowers and the foliage, and so do the butterflies and hummingbirds!

I grew these [‘Marshall's Delight’] by WS method the winter of `07
They bloomed second year, [summer of '08] and they are tall...Read Moreer than i had anticipated, so time to move them.

I have yet to find any seeds on them though.

They are very pretty when in bloom, but sort of ratty looking afterward. I've cut half of them back ... and I have found they are more drought tolerant than stated. I have them where i can't water, so they only get what 'mom nature' gives them.

Last summer I purchased a pot of 'Marshall's Delight' at the local nursery. It was scraggly and half dead and probably a week away from t...Read Morehe compost heap. Since it was clearance priced, I decided to try to rescue it. It looked quite ratty and sad in the garden so I pruned it back to about 6 inches, kept it watered, and left it alone.

This spring those three twiggy stems have put out dozens of babies via runners. I'm going to have to thin them out to prevent powdery mildew. Not only did the plant survive, but it's spreading quite happily. I'm looking forward to plenty of monarda in my garden this summer.

So far, two green thumbs up for this sturdy and prolific little fellow. I would've never in a million years thought it would survive.

It will be one full season this spring coming that this plant has been in the ground and what a disappointment. I have about a dozen of ...Read Morethese and all of them had powdery mildew. They also do not like to be pruned, when I deadheaded the head of the only bloom, the whole stem of the plant died. I see now that if I prune it I will have to take the stem down to the crown because it will just die if I don't. The plant does smell really great though and is really spreading well. I will give it one full season, if it doesn't perform off to the compost pile it goes.......