HI Jennylynn, I can send you all of the honeysuckle you could want and I have some lemon balm too. I would happily trade for some of your sedum and bluebell bulbs. Please email me and let me know. Thanks, Linda

A great many perennials spread with an underground root system and bee balm is one. But it is extremely manageable. If it starts spreading wider than desired, just sever the the outlying growth with your garden spade and remove. Or plant elsewhere or share with friends and neighbors. Bee balm looks best if in a sizeable clump so I would not recommend sinking it in a pot.....unless the pot you use is large enough to allow for a decent spread. You don't want just one or two stems poking up but several dozen!!

Yes I did that which is why I am asking. Often there are several varieties of a plant, some taller, some shorter or there are regional differences as to how big they get. A perfect example is purple aster. I brought some to my first swap and when someone asked a size question I tried to answer that they get 1.5 ft tall and were not garden thugs. But several people said they got 3-4 ft tall and spread miserably. Obviously someone had a different version of purple aster. I also have some 4 ft tall raspberry colored aster and some 3 ft tall white aster. None of which are thuggish in spreading. If someone asks how tall aster gets I have a different response for each one. In my bed I planted the purple in front, the white in the middle and the raspberry toward the back. Somehow the red bee balm ended up in the front of my bed. Usually when I get a swap plant I ask how big it gets and then place accordingly. I just want to verify the placement of this particular plant. We have the perfect opportunity to move it this spring if it is misplaced.

because that is what they do as they shut down for winter ... it is sept.. and in a few weeks you can just cut them to the ground.. and stop looking at them ... id wait until its a bit colder.. just to insure i didnt stimulate new growth with only a month or so before frost ... that would just be a waste of stored energy it needs for next spring ... you have repeatedly noted drought in your garden this season... so cecily is spot on ... stress is stress.. and it always amazes me.. how bugs and disease.. can find already stressed plants to attack .. ken