"Chris Jung" wrote in message
.. .
Hi,
In the past three years since we bought our house I've been experimenting
with different plantings here and there. Our lot is mostly shady (varies
from dappled to deep shade) with a few areas that get steady sun for about
5
to 6 hours. I made up my "sunny" flower garden in one spot that gets about
6
hours of sun (from 9 to 3:45). Most of the stuff I planted there
(foxglove,
sweet William, daylilies, clematis) are doing well except for the bee balm
I
planted two years ago. It's growing (and spreading) but it gets powdery
mildew every summer which ruins most the flowers.

One way to minimize the mildew is to cut the plants back by about half when
the get about 3 feet tall - give or take. The mildew doesn't seem to set in
until they bloom, then they get ratty. Cutting them back not only keeps
them compact, but delays blooming. By delaying the blooms, you seem to be
able to delay the onset of the mildew. You also have the advantage of
shifting the bloom time to a period when color is more scarce in the
perennial border.