I planted Raspberry Wine for the first time in late spring. It has done very well and bloomed. I was just starting to enjoy it and half of it seemed to get knocked over by the sprinkler. Not positive that was the reason, but I noticed it after it had the sprinkler on the bed. Some of the stems were bent in half and would not come up again, so I cut back all those that bent over. Too bad it was just filling in the spot I wanted it for. But, I do like the flower color and size and the plant had healthy looking foliage. There is such a lot of summer and fall still to come, that I am expecting to see new growth at some point. Wednesday, rain is forecast and that is much needed for everything. I expect that next year will be even better.

Alyrics, I just planted Lobelia cardinalis last fall, and have a nice robust patch this year that just started blooming yesterday. You're right about the Hummingbirds - little Hummer has been checking out the Lobelia since it started budding. One of the patches of red Monarda isn't far away - and the Hummer goes to both. Such a brilliant red on both of these flowers. Scraplolly, I am growing things like Rudbeckia, Daylilies, and Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) 'Shenandoah' around my Monarda. I kinda let it grow in a naturalized way, Monarda is not really a formal plant. They also grow well with other moisture-lovers like Asclepias incarnata and Joe Pye Weed. For mildew and fungus on Monarda, you are supposed to use a fungicide even before the mildew appears. I'm not that fussy about a little mildew which is only cosmetic - but I had a raging fungus on some susceptible plants this Spring (Monarda, Phlox, Asclepias, Veronicastrum, etc.) and the plants were yellowing and keeling over. So I've sprayed several times using an organic copper-based fungicide from Gardens Alive called "Soap Shield".

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.

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