Judy, Everyone has to do what they feel best, but on a plant I really want to grow and do well, I don't let it put energy in blooming, but snip it off...except I will sometimes allow one bloom to mature, never more. Like you, I really want to see the bloom. Last year, when I bought my first plants from Karol Emmerich,she advised me to not allow them to bloom until the following year for the reason of allowing the plant to put energy in growing. I followed her instructions (pretty much except for that one bloom) and most of her plants were absolute blooming machines for me this year. kay

It just stormed for about an hour and still sprinkling! I swear I can hear my hostas outside cheering!!

I have a type of phlox and it is tough. Id say chances are they will survive in case of too much water or no water. In regards to your question, and again, not knowing where you live, I will speak about Houston where I live. We had the wettest April in recorded history and water came to within inches of my front door. We'd had no rain in March so the water was absorbed quickly. However, in the last week of the rainy spell, ground was saturated. I was trying to plant a shrub and when I shoveled, water seeped into the hole. I happens in cases of EXTREME rainfall but I would not say it happens every time it rains heavily. More like when it rained and rained and rained and water finally had nowhere to go fast. Cant speak about bee balm as I don't grow it.

Glad I'm not the only one- when I hear thunder it's a mad dash to move all the potted and hanging plants out where they will catch some rain. Of course then I have to remember to move them back in again or they will fry.