"Vox Humana" wrote in message
...

"Chris Jung" wrote in message
.. .
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.


Thanks for the advice. I'll cut my bee balm back and see how well that
works. I hope cutting them back helps since I normally like bee balm but
these plants have been disappointing.

Chris in lovely rainy Ithaca, NY