Misery loves company! I've been hand picking (with a tweezer) these little B%*#^@&s for a few weeks now, drowning them in a cup of water. They destroy the buds either deforming or eliminating the blooms. I believe this is the culprit, Pyrausta signatalis-monarda/horsemint caterpillar: Someone had posted a link for me last year about this critter, and there isn't alot of info on it, but I'm 99.9% positive it's this guy. Whenever I see the moth, I've been smashing it, usually when it lands on a leaf. So far, this years damage has been extensive on my "Jacob Cline", but they're moving on to the "Marshall's Delight", which just started blooming for me. They didn't bother with the "Blue Stocking" or "Claire Grace", which bloom later than the first two for me. Good luck ;) Tracey

Updating this thread because, well, here we go again lol. That pot of monarda I mentioned three yeas ago? I planted it that fall. I had two years of some growth and a couple of decent blooms, so I was encouraged. This season it's taking off and growing great and I was so excited to finally have a beautiful flush... and today, after looking at those brown, ratty, non-blooms, sure enough, there is the darn caterpillar. I searched to see if there was any new information/treatment, and one of the first hits of my search was this thread lol. So, I guess the answer is no, there are no new treatments. I'll cut everything back and then I do think I will remove this in the fall. Just not worth not only the trouble, but the dashed hopes, dreams and expectations hahaha. This was supposed to be a focal point in my red/yellow/orange bed but I'll have to find something else I guess. :) Dee

Those are very pretty, cAROL - but I tend to stick to species instead of hybrids for the most part. A lot of hybrids are sterile or weak seed producers and with the species (especially a broad range of them) I figure I have a better chance of getting seed that will grow if I direct sow it out in our goatland area. I need really tough plants to grow there because the land is often very dry and the plants will need to grow in rocks, clay and coal - and survive being nibbled by goats & a cow, of course. :) Lynda

In my experience it spreads aggressively. Tropical sage blooms and reseeds lightly almost all year. Dotted horsemint blooms and sets a lot of seed once (in zone 9 anyway) but it sets A LOT of seed when it does. Usually the seeds germinate in the cool season and then take off when it warms up. Plants can grow quite large. I have read recommendations to deadhead or cut back dotted horsemint before seed sets to prevent it from taking over, but in my experience the blooms (or bracts) still look pretty when it sets seed, so I'm reluctant to do it--especially as I've waited all spring and summer for the thing to bloom. The seedlings are not difficult to get rid of, but they will seed between cracks in the sidewalk, paving stones, and other difficult places. Mine has never attracted butterflies, but it attracts many, many bees and wasps--and many strange sorts that I've never seen before, which makes me think it's an especially good plant for attracting beneficial insects. This is one of the few plants I've grown that will thrive in unirrigated sugar sand. It holds its own with beach sunflower. Leaves have a strong oregano scent. Bill