how invasive is bee balm?
sarahrock
14 years ago
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madjack2010
14 years agoallyseeds
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Mildew Resisten Bee Balm (Monarda)
Comments (17)I can only provide personal experience, but that is tempered with the fact that the PNW is likely the powdery mildew capital of the universe. LOL! If a plant is susceptible to PM in the slightest, there is a very good bet it will get it - our climate, specially in late summer, is just very predisposed to this problem. And so-called "resistance" is just that - resistance does not translate to immunity. Having said all that, 'Jacob Cline' is an excellent performer here. It seldom develops any problems, produces a tall, robust clump, is a dramatic, intense shade of red, flowers prodigiously even in part shade and has a long bloom season. And I'd hesitate to call any monarda "invasive". In the right conditions, they can be aggressive spreaders but they are easily removed where not wanted and are not considered invasive in the context of seeding freely or otherwise invading natural ecosystems to the detriment of native plantings. And if you are not familiar with it, The Sunset Western Garden Book has an excellent listing of deer resistant (there's that word again!) plants that are particularly well suited to west coast gardeners....See MoreMonarda (aka bee balm) good and bad
Comments (22)Thanks for the interesting responses! I too had problems with a planting of monarda that never survived. It was 'Jacob Kline' and I was amazed to find it had bit the dust. Looking back, I think I played a major part in its demise by dividing it when it was in bloom (and when it was still a young plant). Tracy, I just checked out American Meadows with Garden Watchdog. It was a good company that seemed to have a bad year in 2007. Several complaints similar to yours. I hope it will come back for you. Eduarda, I couldn't improve on Sierra's answer. Don't give up on it yet! FlowerLady, if anyone could grow this in Zone 10, it's YOU! I'll bet you have good success with it. Good luck! Edna, your bees and butterflies will surely thank you! Sierra, your photos are wonderful! Thanks everyone, Patti...See Morebloom time of bee balm/monarda
Comments (1)I have several varieties that have been flowering for a good long while now ... none of which have ever been invasive in my zone 3 climate. On occasion I've had problems with winterkill, especially when there's been little or no snow covering. Terry...See MoreDoes lemon balm become invasive like mint?
Comments (5)I have a large patch of lemon balm (over 1000 square feet) planted in fall 2007, and I've seen no evidence of it spreading by root, here in Maryland. It certainly does self-seed all over the place, but in that regard it's just one among many weeds that pop up. Incidentally, the lemon balm was originally interplanted with catnip. It was thriving last year, but absolutely none of the catnip came back this year. I'm assuming it drowned because of the unusual snow cover last winter. The lemon balm is so vigorous that I was regretting planting it with the catnip. But if I had planted only catnip, I wouldn't have anything there now....See Moreterrene
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