I love Monarda and have two patches of Red Bee Balm. Last year I made the 2nd patch by transplanting the extra clumps from the edges of the first patch into the new butterfly garden. The first patch is dry, sandy and full sun location - it didn't grow that well there last year. But the transplants LOVED their new spot which was rich loam in partial sun. Monarda does get mildewy looking but I don't mind a naturalized look in the garden and the Zinnias next to it helped hide the mess. Hummingbirds and butterflies continued to visit up until the last petals fall it seemed. The photos show the new patch in full bloom - it really took off in one year. Also a couple visitors - Spicebush Swallowtail and a Female Ruby Throat. The Hummingbird photo was taken on Aug 31 and the flowers had pretty much gone by but this Hummer wanted to get a last bit of nectar.

Thanks for the information about Tulips. I'll have to wait then. Thanks for the tips too regarding planting around them. :D I w'sowed very few this year. I was so sad early this year since I lost my job. I only did about 20 2L bottles and only 5 or 6 had germination. But good thing is that the seeds that I really was drooling for sprouted. :) It's the sage. I'm not really sure what it is because I just harvested it in Wisconsin and I never had a picture. I'm also mixing 'em up with the other seeds I harvested in one of the public parks here. LOL. I'm also very happy with the annuals last year that I will do it again this year. Some annuals I planted last year have volunteers now like the poppies, calendulas and bachelor buttons. I'm also going to plant salvia splendens(yvonne) and profusion zowie zinnias. Oh, I've also transplanted monarda and Agastache to a new bed I created recently. The Agastaches are like weeds, it seeds everywhere. However, I consider it a beautiful weed. :D What are your plans this year? Thanks! :)

Definitely wait until the spring if you can. You can move them now, if you absolutely have to, but I wouldn't advise it. Hostas and monardas are pretty tough, so they'd be better able to handle it than many other perennials. But there is a risk of losing them. If you do move them, mulch the heck out of them!! By now the plant roots are well into their winterizing process - they move the water out of the cells and into the spaces in between - this prevents the cells from rupturing when the water freezes. If you disturb them they might respond with some new root growth - encouraging new growth now means that when the the ground freezes the roots might not have had time to prepare themselves. BP

you can do it now if you need to- just trim off the flowers, so that the plant's energy goes back to the plant, and not to flower production. bee balm's sturdy stuff, and as long as you keep in hydrated, it should be fine. I like to dig the hole to recieve the plant first, and fill it with water, then I dig up the plant while that's soaking in, divide it as needed, make any soil amendments (adding compost to the hole) and plop the plant in to the muck in the bottom of the new hole (if there's still standing water, you have clay soil, and may want to add two handfulls of fine mulch, and a cup or so of sand to the mix to start breaking it up) try and have the 'crown' (the place where the plant emerges from the earth) at the same level it was growing, then backfill, water, mulch.